A Change of Heart
by Misae
Summary: AU. Eriol, the Crown Prince of Japan with a torturous and dark past. However, when Eriol meets Tomoyo, a simple peasant seamstress, why is his heart burning with desire and yet also with hatred?
1. Chapter One

_**Card Captor Sakura, Eriol X Tomoyo**_

_Copyright of CLAMP and Misae Genre: Dark/Angst/Romance_

_**A Change of Heart**_

_By Misae_

**Summary:** AU. Eriol, the Crown Prince of Japan with a torturous and dark past, believed his first love had betrayed him, causing him to distance himself from every woman. However, when Eriol meets Tomoyo, a simple peasant seamstress, at the village marketplace, why is his heart burning with desire and yet also with hatred?

**Disclaimer:** _CLAMP owns CCS, never I._

**A.N.:** This story is set in the later part of the Edo period, the Bakumatsu period. So, the setting is semi-modernized and influenced by Western culture. The men are the ones who conform to the gradual Western ideas, while the women remain pretty traditional.

**Warning:** Language/Blood & Gore/Adult situations – applies to all chapters. Be prepared for _anything._

* * *

_**Chapter One: The Chance Meeting**_

_I thought you'd always be with me.  
Always by my side but then you betrayed me,  
In more ways than one, you left me to face  
this cruel world alone._

The noisy bustle of the village filled his ears with a buzzing. He looked out from the mahogany carriage he was riding in to peer curiously. Ever since _that incident_, he was never allowed to leave the castle grounds, except when Syaoran, his older cousin, managed to sneak him out in the dead of the night, without his mother's knowledge, to enjoy an occasional drink at the Golden Cat bar.

Hell, he had only ever seen the village when it was shrouded against a dusty dark background and when the party animals came out. The bright and cheery hustle bustle made him wish that _that incident_ had never happened those many years ago. Or else he would have been able to step out of his mother's protectiveness and just be like _normal _guys his age. Well, he would never really be normal since he was _the_ Crown Prince, but still, he wanted a semblance of a normal life.

"Your Highness?"

"Yes?"

"We have arrived," the calm, composed voice continued, "I suppose we should head to the marketplace now. I'll stand guard a few feet away."

"Right," Eriol turned to look at his bodyguard, Touya, before sighing resignedly. After all, he brought this onto himself. Damn, why did he have to succumb to Syaoran's blackmailing? He had taken advantage of the fact that his parents were away in the neighbouring country, to come into the village in the day. Syaoran had coaxed Eriol into buying him his favourite watermelon as Syaoran could not leave the castle that day.

Eriol pulled on his cloak, stepping out of the carriage, with Touya following.

"Wow," he was left speechless at what he had never seen before.

Everyone was so different, everything was so interesting, and everything was what he _always _wanted to get to know. The marketplace was only one part of the village, but he felt like he had suddenly been thrown into a whole new parallel universe.

Noticing several curious stares, Eriol cocked his head at their direction inquisitively, unwittingly causing several girls to blush and giggle at this handsome new arrival. He avoided their intent gaze upon him, feeling a blush starting to creep across his chiseled features, his eyes immediately darting sheepishly to focus determinedly on a vegetable stall sign hanging not too far away.

Eriol still could not get used to such attention; especially from a gaggle of girls – he notably loathed the opposite sex and their silly ways of trying to attract him. Besides, not many peasants knew his actual identity, as keeping it under wraps formed a sort of safeguard against treacherous beings. The King and Queen refused to take any chances again, for what had happened to him that fateful day so many years ago, had changed all their lives forever. They could not afford to slacken any form of security for Eriol.

Dressed down, he could definitely pass off as a well-to-do, fine-looking young noble. He could freely walk around without having to worry for his life and whatnot. Taking a deep breath of his opportunity of having some sort of freedom, Eriol could not help but bask in the feeling of being like a caged bird that was finally released into the wild. The smell, the sight, the scent, the sound of _freedom_ was overwhelming him, and his head reeled with dizzy contentment.

But first things first before he could explore this whole new world. Eriol headed off towards the fruit stall, directed by Touya who followed a few steps behind.

Reaching the fruit stall, the beer-bellied, wizened, old vendor flashed him a toothless grin.

"Help yourself, sir."

Looking at the wide array of sweet-smelling fruits, Eriol could not resist the temptation to browse through other odd-looking fruits that were unknown to him.

"May I know what these are?" Eriol questioned politely.

The old vendor stared at him quizzically for a moment, and then proceeded into a lengthy but precise description of every fruit Eriol did not know about. He listened with great interest for he did not exactly pay much attention to books pertaining to fruits or vegetables or whatever in the castle library. They were not exactly interesting, you know. He had spent five years studying how to rule the country and bring it to greater heights. Also, his five years were spent training him in martial arts, to decrease the risk of _that incident_ ever occurring ever again.

As they reached one end of the stall, Eriol could not help but notice the flower stall beside it. Especially _the girl_ there.

* * *

"Some white daisies, several poppies, and those red roses!" she pointed out cheerily. The flowers would definitely spruce up the interior of Sonomi's Fitting, her foster mother's seamstress shop. Since she had a little money left over from grocery shopping, she thought that she would buy some flowers to brighten her mother's day, and the shop. Their financial situation had been somewhat unstable in the past year as prices of cloth had rocketed sky-high, causing them to make little profit.

Hopefully, the flowers would breathe some life into the dreary mood of the shop then. She had racked her brains hard over the past few months, trying advertising and many other little quirky ideas of hers to attract more customers. Flowers could possibly stimulate her brain cells further, so there was justification in splurging a little on this simple treat.

Following Sonomi's footsteps, she had become one of the best seamstresses around, possibly one of the best in the kingdom. She would inherit the shop one day and certainly wanted to offer the best that she could to raise its prestige.

"Oh, there's no need to wrap the flowers that nicely, Chiharu," she smiled pleasantly and continued, "I'm going to put them all into vases at the shop the second I reach there."

Chiharu could not help but beam at the twenty-year-old seamstress's enthusiasm. They had known each other for five years now, and Chiharu was all used to her best friend's optimism. Being in her presence was like being doused with a sudden ray of sunshine, brightening up anyone's day.

"All right, all right! Hold your horses!" Chiharu exclaimed, separating the flowers into two bunches for easier carrying.

"Thanks a lot, Chiharu," the other girl chuckled, placing the money on the counter.

* * *

"_Thanks a lot, Chiharu."_

That voice, and that laughter. It all rang so nostalgically in his ears. _Could it be..?_

His breath suddenly hitched and his breathing had become considerably heavier. Eriol had not heard this voice in years. Five years to be exact. The sound of her voice tugged at his heartstrings and memories that were once forgotten came flooding back in an instant. His hand instinctively clutched his chest tightly.

"_I'm so sorry, Eriol," her mauve eyes had started to fill with tears, "Please forgive me… if you survive."_

_He almost did not catch the whisper of her last words. He was feeling light-headed and the room had started to swirl. He had to concentrate intently on her words before he could fully comprehend them. Even her face had started to swim as white dots started flashing before his eyes. He was clutching the chair for support, leaning his weight heavily on it and then realization struck him. He stared at her in horror. She had drugged him. But why? Reaching out for her, she had backed away, tears falling freely; her hair partially covered her face from him._

"_I had to," she had murmured, before backing out of the room. Eriol fell to the floor painfully, with the chair toppling over along with him with a loud crash. Clutching his throbbing head, he tried to fight the darkness that threatened to overcome him with every second, but to no avail. Then, a tall dark figure had entered his room, approaching him quickly. Eriol knew who that was even without glancing in the man's direction – the leader._

"_No, go away…" and that was all Eriol could manage before succumbing to the darkness._

He had tried to lock away all the memories of _her_. Indeed, he succeeded with Syaoran's help. He had turned away from every woman who had shown an interest in him. Syaoran had no choice but to confide in Sakura, his fiancée and Eriol's older sister, who had persuaded him time and time again to open his heart once more, but to absolutely deaf ears. He had built an ice-cold fortress around his heart. He could not afford letting another woman into his heart, the wounds _she_ had left had healed, but they left scars and reminders upon his heart. He didn't want to be hurt, never again.

Now, the problem was the woman who was just at the next stall. He did not know whether it was truly her, but he dared not to turn to catch a glimpse of her face. _But he knew, somehow he just did._

He knew it had to be her. No one else could ever_ sound_ like her. The melodic quality coupled with gentility was hers alone, _all hers_. He knew Touya was watching him from just several feet away and he could not afford to act rashly, lest it was reported to Sakura, or worst, his mother.

However, he obviously did not give a shit about being ratted on. What he wanted to do, he always did. He was just a stubborn mule, or in his sister's words, a complete pig-head. Giving in to impulse, Eriol closed the gap between them to tower over the girl, gripping hold of her elbow, causing the two ladies to cease their casual banter. Now, those amethyst eyes were staring into his own, asking him silently what the matter was.

Eriol's heart was caught in his throat. _It was her._

They were of the same age and yet she had hardly changed. Those eyes were unmistakably hers. Her features were slightly sharper than five years ago. Her hair was longer and wavier; her body had more womanly curves; her lips an alluring pink. The blue Japanese-styled dress suited her perfectly, showing off her fair and radiant skin. She was definitely a sight to behold.

His eyes clouded over with yearning as he had missed her _so much_ but the cerulean depths narrowed slightly as he remembered his anger towards her. He did not know what to. Should he embrace her, like he used to? Or should he drag her away to punish her for her betrayal? He did not know what to do.

* * *

She was pleasantly surprised even though this outsider had rudely interrupted Chiharu's and her conversation when he came up and grabbed hold of her elbow. Looking up questioningly, she could not help but be mesmerized by the stranger's dark blue eyes. His hair was hanging casually slightly over his eyes and his face was framed by a strong jaw. Dark, brooding good looks were all that dissolved her initial twinge of annoyance for being interrupted. Her heart had started to beat a tad quicker because of the strong attraction she felt for this total stranger.

She could not help but think about where she had met him before. They were a little too close for comfort; she could feel the heat of his flesh radiating from him, yet somehow she still felt rather reassured by his presence. Everything was just too achingly familiar.

Realizing Chiharu was there, she decided it was time to stop their staring contest. She tugged her elbow out from his grip and said to him amiably, "I'm sorry, but I don't think that I know you, sir."

Turning from him, she missed the transition of emotion on his face. She picked up the bouquets of flowers and placed them hurriedly into her grocery basket.

"I have to go, Chiharu. We spent too much time talking. Mother's going to kill me. Come by after you close okay? Takashi will be back from work by then. See you!" she took off promptly.

* * *

Surprise was replaced by hurt, then anger. She had brushed him off so easily.

"Tomoyo," Eriol managed to squeeze out her name from his clenched teeth.

That single uttered word stopped her abruptly in her tracks. Trepidation filled her as she turned so slowly it would have been comical in the situation, but the atmosphere was reeking of nostalgia that it was almost painful to watch her turn to look at him. Recognition of who he truly was, had splashed across her features and that was all he needed to see. He took a slight step forward towards her, still holding her astounded gaze.

* * *

"_Tomoyo."_

Her name echoed in her own ears. Suddenly, the marketplace felt like it had rewound to five years ago, when they were in that small, dingy, squalid room together. She was finding it too hard to breathe too unexpectedly, and her head had started to reel with alarm. It definitely did not have anything to do with the musty thick air of the marketplace, which was what she was sure of. Hoping against hope it would not be who she thought he was, Tomoyo turned slowly, her heart beating so quickly she thought her increasingly high blood pressure would cost her a burst blood vessel.

The revelation struck her like lightning.

It was Eriol. _Her Eriol._

He took a step towards her and she panicked.

She ran.

* * *

_To be continued…_

_**Copyright:**__ Excerpt from the poem, Betrayal, by Ashley Dickerson_

**A.N.:** Well, if the character "Takashi" doesn't ring a bell, it's actually Yamazaki or Zachary (in the Eng ver. of the show).

Well, I thought that Tomoyo should be wearing something like what Misao does in Rurouni Kenshin, but with a knee-length skirt and longer sleeves perhaps. 'Cause she IS a peasant girl and they have to run around or run away in this instance, yeah? Can't have her tripping all over long skirts or something. And she's not supposed to look like a ninja like Misao, but more of a normal girl, that's why.


	2. Chapter Two

_**A Change of Heart**_

_By Misae_

**Disclaimer:** _CLAMP owns CCS, never I._

**Warning:** Language/Blood & Gore

* * *

_**Chapter Two: Taking**_

_No music swells within his soul  
Just silence surrounds his heart,  
And the solitude engulfs his world,  
When the poet and love depart._

All this time, he could not forget her. He thought he had. He had tried very hard to, but Eriol could never forget _her_. Seeing Tomoyo take to her heels registered slowly. Cursing colourfully under his breath, he took off after her too, not caring that Touya was right behind him and yelling for him to stop.

Pushing through the crowd, he saw her dash into a dark alley. Amidst loud protests from the villagers of being shoved by him, Eriol was desperate to find her despite her apparent betrayal. He had wished countless times to meet her once again, to find out the reason of her betrayal, but then he turned to detest her for what she did then and hated her for wandering into his dreams in the night.

He loathed her for he was unable to forget her. Now that he found her, he would not let her escape his grasp so easily.

Being bogged down by the many villagers in the marketplace, he was slowed down reasonably. When he broke free of the crowd, he turned into the alley so quickly that he lost his balance, falling into the T-pole that held the clothing lines up. The sharp edge of the pole dug into his shoulder, ripping his sleeve from the shoulder hem.

"Kuso!" Eriol swore in annoyance.

"Your Highness!" Touya came running into the alley, almost right into Eriol.

Eriol was disgruntled and the fuss that Touya made of his torn sleeve and bruised shoulder did not help. She was gone and all he had received was a painful, throbbing shoulder. Damn, was she quick on her feet!

"We should probably go to the tailor's," Touya commented.

Although furious at letting her get away, Eriol felt slightly grateful towards Touya. Sakura did not know he had come into the village and would be highly suspicious of him returning in such a tattered state. He was thankful that Touya did not question any further about him suddenly chasing a nameless unknown peasant girl.

"All right then. Let's head back to the carriage. Oh the bloody fruits! Thank God I remembered," Eriol grunted sulkily, his bad temper casting a foul mood around.

"Yes, your Highness. We should hurry. If we return late, your Highness will be in great trouble with Princess Sakura," Touya replied.

"I suppose so," Eriol sighed, "Which tailor shall we go to?"

"Sonomi's Fitting. Nakuru says it's the best in town."

* * *

Gasping for breath, Tomoyo only stopped running after she turned into the street where Sonomi's Fitting was located on. She clutched her heaving chest and quickly checked whether she had dropped anything from her grocery baskets. She had not, although the flowers were a little droopy after she accidentally crashed into a T-pole. _'Stupid lousy obstructive pole,' _she thought angrily.

Looking around cautiously for any sign of him, she heaved a huge sigh of relief when she realised he was nowhere in sight. Wiping the droplet sweat that had trickled down her cheek, Tomoyo continued to make her way up the street to where her mother's shop was.

Five years had passed already. After living for five years without him, she was shaken to the core that they could actually meet by chance in the village marketplace. _'Is this fate?' _Tomoyo thought to herself, a wry smile gracing her features. She thought back to when they first met, when they were just children of the young age of twelve.

"_Eriol? Is that your name?" Tomoyo prodded him inquisitively._

"_Leave me alone!" Eriol pushed her hand off and continued sobbing into his knees. He was crouching in a corner of a dark, musty room, frightened of where he was and what had happened to him._

"_Oh don't cry! Look I'll let you play with the cat," Tomoyo circled the room before thrusting a small black cat into his arms, "Say hi to Spinel!"_

_Eriol stopped sniffing and had been immediately distracted by the ball of fur in his arms. Spinel had mewed loudly at him and Eriol warily placed a finger under Spinel's nose, which Spinel had promptly started licking. He had giggled at the ticklish sensation and Tomoyo smiled encouragingly at him._

_They had become friends just as quickly as a snap. In that dim cold room, she had become his first and only solace in the nightmare he had to endure for the next three and a half years. They were held in that room with several other children. The others were simply just sleeping on the dirty floor or talking to one another. They were used to it already. Eriol was the newest addition to the lot and Tomoyo explained it to him._

"_It's a child-slaves trading ring, you see," she had explained patiently, "Children like us are being set to work for a pittance of food. It isn't what we want to do, but we have no choice."_

Ironic was the situation that they had first met at the child-slaves trading ring. She had been there for three years before Eriol came. Tomoyo's eyes darkened with the terrible memories of her childhood. She had no recollection of her parents at all. Her first memory was when she was nine.

_She had found herself in the midst of many children in a cramped, damp and dark prisoner-like cell. Most of them were around her age and the younger ones were crying. A younger boy around seven was sitting beside her, shaking and shivering even though it was in the middle of summer. The door had crashed open with a loud bang and the several of them shrieked in fear as a huge, tall, bespectacled man entered._

"_Oh what the bloody fuck is with the crying!" the man had yelled at them, "Shut up, stupid brats!"_

_The children had huddled together like in a tight sardine pack as a form of reassurance. The boy beside her was shaking even harder, so Tomoyo put her small hand into his and gripped it tight. He immediately plastered himself towards her and she felt sorry that her touch was the only comfort she could offer to the boy, who she knew later as Takashi._

_The man had lit a cigarette and was puffing smoke in the children's direction. Several of them gagged at the putrid smoke filling the room quickly._

"_Now listen up! You stinkin' crybabies belong to me! You work for me and only me alone! If you are good, I'll give you more food eh? If you disobey, you shall be punished!" the man cackled loudly and the men behind him all laughed evilly along with him, their raucous laughter echoing around the cell._

"_And what if I don't want to?" a boy of Tomoyo's age stood and piped up bravely._

_The man smirked and his eyes narrowed with a cruel steely glint. He drew the katana by his side and replied the boy, "Then you get this."_

_A swift stroke of his sword tore through the boy's neck with a horrifying ripping sound. His blood splattered all over as his head spun across the room. His decapitated body fell to the dirty floor with a thud, blood streaming endlessly from the severed neck. Screams and cries punctuated the night. The children who were beside the slain boy had started to shake with fear as tears dropped down their faces utter mortification. They were smeared in blood completely and it took all their courage not to faint then. The smell of blood was intoxicating. Tomoyo quickly covered Takashi's eyes and gripped his hand even tighter. It was terrible for herself to witness such a scene, let alone a seven-year-old._

"_Everybody clear!? No disobedience or you'll end up like this little fucker!" the monstrous man yelled at them, an evil gleam in his eye as he relished the accomplishment of terrorizing the children into submission._

That very first show of punishment served as a reminder for their obedience, and it would forever be etched in her mind. The lives of the child slaves could be described with one word – disgusting. They slogged their small bodies to exhaustion, just so to avoid torture and punishment. Tomoyo had lived this life until she was fifteen for seven years. Seven long years of hardship and cruelty; now she was more than grateful for the life she was leading now. Most of the slaves were not sold, so they had bonded quickly over doing manual labour. '_Great way to make friends huh.'_ Tomoyo thought bitterly.

Sighing, Tomoyo entered Sonomi's Fitting. It was a shop house and she, her mother and her brother, Takashi, lived upstairs while their shop was on the ground level. When the child slave-trading ring was busted by the authorities, Sonomi had adopted both Tomoyo and Takashi. Takashi worked at the Golden Cat bar as a bartender; he even had a girlfriend, who was Chiharu. Tomoyo was happy for them, but somehow she wished she could find that something special once more. But her hard life had made her grateful for whatever that she had received in the last few years, she could not ask for more.

After her first love, every single guy paled in comparison, but she would not think of him again. Tomoyo had much work to do and she had avoided him successfully. They would probably never meet a second time. He probably would not have forgiven her. Sighing inaudibly, she got down to work.

* * *

Pushing the door open, the bell chimed loudly, announcing his presence. Eriol stepped into the shop, with Touya in tow. Sonomi's Fitting was a lovely place and he felt a sudden rush of warmth in his body. Everything here was so in place, even the daisies in the vase suited the interior perfectly.

"May I help you, sirs?" a motherly-looking middle-age lady approached them.

"Yes, his jacket is torn and we would like to fit him for a new one. How long will it take?" Touya replied.

"Oh, I can make it quickly," she replied, "Let me take your measurements then."

She was Sonomi, the owner of the shop. Eriol was surprised at how deftly her fingers moved to measure his torso and at how friendly she was. He had not met many people outside of the palace and the stuffy nobles were all cold and boring. He took an instant liking towards her.

Sonomi was always happy to see new customers, so she served tea and home-made sushi to keep them occupied. "We may take a while, so please enjoy," she smiled, her eyes crinkling gently, and made her way to the back room.

Almost one hour had passed when another tinkle of the bell brought Eriol's attention to the person entering the store.

"Mother! Sis! I'm back!" hollered a young man of eighteen, "Oh sorry! I didn't see you were there. Good day, sirs."

"Hey! Aren't you the bartender at the Golden Cat?" Eriol exclaimed.

"Yeah! How nice to see you here. Making a new jacket? I'll rush them," his eyes twinkled mischievously, "Oi Tomoyo! Get your lazy ass cracking! Don't let Mother do all the work and don't keep my friends waiting!"

Eriol stared at the man in astonishment_. 'Tomoyo?_ _She's here? Then who is this?' _He glanced at the bartender again, taking in his features and tried to recall.

"We're done already, so stop yelling, you uncivilized boy. What if Chiharu doesn't want to marry you anymore, moron," Tomoyo came grumbling into the room, holding the finished jacket.

"That's right, Takashi. Mind your manners," Sonomi came out behind her and admonished her son.

"Heehee. Gotcha, Mother," Takashi grinned sheepishly in Eriol's direction.

_Takashi._ _That boy. _Eriol finally remembered. Tomoyo mothered him all the time back there. She had always protected him fiercely from anything, _freaking anything,_ and had to comfort him whenever he cried.

'_He always took Tomoyo's attention away from me back then,'_ Eriol reminisced, _'and I always felt jealous of him.'_

Tomoyo's gasp brought him back to reality.

"Pay for it, Touya," Eriol said simply, keeping his gaze on Tomoyo.

As Touya went forward to Sonomi and Takashi to pay, they engaged in small talk, and all seemed oblivious to Tomoyo and Eriol's exchange.

"Help me put it on," Eriol said quietly, his eyes never leaving her wide eyes. She moved hesitantly, dropping her gaze from his. Tomoyo pulled the jacket gently over his arms, brushing against his bruise by accident. His sharp intake of breath stopped her and she dropped her hands from his jacket. Eriol tugged on the jacket quickly as Tomoyo had started to turn away from him. He grabbed her by the arm, and then both of them froze, like time had stopped.

"Do you… remember me?" he breathed.

She half-turned towards him at his question.

"… No," she whispered softly, prying her arm from his grip, once again.

"No?" he echoed. Then fury washed over him like a beast, overpowering his senses. He had remained composed for those few minutes they had met, and the mood in the shop drastically changed, becoming more ominous with his growing rage.

"_No?!_" he growled, grasping her by the shoulders.

The other three in the shop turned at his sudden outburst. Touya, noticing Eriol's impending wrath, hurried forward to pull him away. But Eriol fended Touya off with one hand, keeping a vice-like grip on Tomoyo's shoulder. Tomoyo was terrified by this new Eriol, one side of him she had never seen before.

"I don't believe you," his voice cold, "I don't believe it. You're lying. _You're fucking lying!_" His voice had risen to a shout.

"Your Highness!" Touya was scandalised, "Let her go!"

"_Your Highness?"_ Takashi repeated.

"You're coming back with me, bitch. _I'll make you remember_," Eriol snarled.

"What..? No! Let me go! Let me –"

Eriol knocked Tomoyo out promptly with a blow to her neck. Ignoring Sonomi's screams and Takashi's yell of protest, he ordered Touya, "We're leaving."

With that, he lifted Tomoyo's unconscious body over his shoulder and carried her out towards the waiting carriage.

Sonomi and Takashi would not meet Tomoyo for a long time.

When Tomoyo awoke, she would certainly not return to Sonomi's Fitting for more than a while.

* * *

_To be continued…_

_Copyright: Excerpt from the poem, The Poet's heart, by BlueDreams_

**Kuso:** Shit

**A.N.** Thanks to **boredjl** and **funky-squirrel** for taking time to review! Hopefully i didn't disappoint here. ;p


	3. Chapter Three

_**A Change of Heart**_

_By Misae_

**Disclaimer:** _CLAMP owns CCS, never I._

**Warning:** Language/Blood & Gore/Adult situations

**A.N. **Thanks to those who reviewed! **teapot, funky-squirrel, minglejingle, icyblossom3, Oncility, tomoyo-amethyst **and **asga**. to **teapot**, i took your advice and edited the entire of this chapter before i put it up! i dont know whether it's good enough though! to **funky-squirrel**, hahaha yeah Eriol's daft in here, the silly guy. to **tomoyo-amethyst**, hmm hmm hmm. LOL. well all i can say is that i'mma gonna reveal a whole lot more in the next few chapters. please wait patiently! thanks everyone!

* * *

_**Chapter Three: Remembrance**_

_Remember what we had_

_Those many moons ago_

_Are you simply just a dream_

_Or something good that had happened to me_

"Don't let anyone in. The rest of you, go," Eriol said menacingly, dismissing the metal-armoured guards outside the mahogany doors.

They had arrived back at the castle in short time and Eriol was carrying the unconscious Tomoyo over his shoulder into his bedroom. Touya was the only one left to stand guard outside. Eriol strode purposefully into the sunlit large and spacious connecting room. All royal bedrooms had a connecting room before they could reach their bedroom. As his mother only let him take charge of in his bedroom, he had no say in how the connecting room had been furnished.

If he had a choice, everything would be done in his favourite colour, blue. Everything had been given a variant of white, which was his mother's preferred preference in colour. It was all _too_ white for Eriol's liking. The drapes were a cream shade; the carpet a soft white fur; the walls were painted an effusive light yellowish-white that he personally thought looked like diluted pee. Even the chairs had been given white trimmings and a snowy-white cushion.

_Thank God_ the dining table was a least a rich walnut shade and there were only three chairs in total at one end to give him salvation from the explosion of white in the room. The only other things in the room that were not white were the doors, which were all mahogany.

Giving the décor a look of mild distaste, he stomped past the long walnut dining table, and atop it were several candlesticks, that were _also_ in the shade that was the bane of his sanity, white.

Eriol threw open his doors and slammed them shut. His eyes felt a sudden relief as his room was slightly dim as the curtains were a dark royal blue, shielding part of the room from the blazing rays from the sun. Apart from his large four-poster blue silk-covered bed, the rest of his room was relatively simple. He wasn't a frills sort of guy. The carpet in his room was white just so to please his mother but the rest of the furniture contrasted drastically with the white. They were simply all made from an exotic dark wood – the closet by the door; the cabinet, tea table and chairs opposite the bed. He placed Tomoyo onto his bed with a thump and searched the room for ropes to tie her up to prevent her from escaping.

"Goddamnit!" he swore under his breath when he could not find any ropes, which was actually _pretty obvious_ there would not have been any ropes since it was his bedroom, oh but Eriol was took caught up in his temper to contemplate such complex things. So he took out a long silky tie from the closet, and quickly wound it around her wrists. After their first encounter, he definitely did not want her to give him the slip for a second time. He was going to make sure she remembered _everything._

Eriol grabbed a large gin bottle from the cabinet and poured himself a generous measure. He gulped the drink quickly, letting the liquid burn his throat. He slammed the glass down onto the table beside the cabinet and gin sloshed over the side and onto his fingers, before he sat down on the cushy chair.

'_I don't believe her. If she didn't remember, would she have run away from me in the first place?_' he fumed, staring at her resting figure on his bed. His eyes gradually softened at the tranquil expression on Tomoyo's sleeping face. Her lashes were long and lush, framing her closed eyes. Her black, luscious, long hair fanned out across the bedspread. She looked every bit like a sleeping angel. Eriol bit his lip as the sight of her, face and body, was causing a flutter in his heart all over again.

* * *

"_Eriol! Eriol! Please wake up and tell me you're all right!" a terrified high-pitched squeak awoke him._

_Groaning in pain, he summoned all his strength to push himself up from his lying position. Opening his eyes slowly, he could see a pair of worried purple eyes looking right at him. Tomoyo's face was tear-streaked as she spotted his bruises and wounds._

"_Careful!" Tomoyo supported him._

"_I'll be okay. Don't worry so much," Eriol murmured, trying to mask his pain. His mind dimly registered that he was back in his small dusty room and lying on the smelly grimy sheets of his mattress. Slaves slept on the cold floor or on dirty mattresses, and those who had the privilege, excuse the irony, of having the mattresses were those that had spent more than three years there. Eriol had just been 'upgraded' to sleeping on the mattress and he had already further dirtied it with his blood._

_Just because he accidentally spilled a bucket of glue all over the newly-built tiles, he had been thrashed horribly by the leader. For his mistake, they told him he deserved death for such a stupid blunder, and they had punched him, drawing blood. Mind you, it was he and the other slaves who had built the tiles so very painstakingly. So Eriol felt he deserved none of the ill-treatment and his sharp tongue had lashed out impulsively._

_The leader had drawn his katana at Eriol's outburst, holding it dangerously close to his neck. The leader then bodily slammed him into the wall, pressing the cold steel of the katana onto his neck, causing red beads to appear, staining the steel with blood yet again. It was a warning to Eriol and he continued to glare defiantly back at the leader, who seemed thoroughly amused that a stupid slave was challenging him in this way. _

_Drawing back and releasing his hold on Eriol, the leader had watched and laughed wickedly when he let his, all brawn but no brains mind you, men beat the crap out of the fifteen-year old slave. The constant pummeling in almost every inch of his body was sheer torture and Eriol had lasted only a few minutes of it before he gave in to the pain and then all was darkness and solace._

_Tomoyo used a cloth soaked in medicinal oil and gingerly dabbed at Eriol's injuries on his purple-bruised skinny chest. He winced at her touch and her heart wrenched to see him hurt. She had guessed that he was someone of higher status, perhaps a noble, when he first arrived. He had not been used to the hard menial work the children were tasked to do, earning himself many punishments for his initial mistakes. Also, his hot temper and quick tongue brought him even more of the horrible torture the slaves were subjected to. He had picked up quickly from Tomoyo and the other children though, and he had not been tortured this badly in a while._

"_It's a good thing Takashi told me what happened to you, or else there would be no one to take care of your injuries," she said pensively, concentrating on getting the dried blood off his body, missing the flash of jealousy in Eriol's eyes._

_It was always about Takashi. She never stopped mentioning him. Eriol could not help but feel she took the sister thing too far. When they had the chance spend what little time they had together, she would always rush off whenever Takashi was hurt or when he was crying. 'That snotty little bastard. He's thirteen, for god's sake,' Eriol thought to himself._

"_Anyway, Takashi said that –"_

"_Stop talking about Takashi! You're with me!" Eriol snapped harshly._

_Tomoyo was taken aback. Did Eriol not like Takashi? Or were his wounds hurting even more? Her brows furrowed worriedly. Suddenly, she was pulled onto the mattress towards him._

"_What –"_

_She did not finish her exclamation, for then, Eriol had leaned forward and gently brushed his lips over her own. Tomoyo looked up at him in surprise and embarrassment as he moved away. His eyes had softened as he looked at her with such a tender gaze, she was a little afraid and unsure of what to do next._

"_Don't you understand? I love you," he had whispered._

Eriol remembered their first kiss back there. He would never forget it. A wry smile tugged at the corners of his mouth for he realised how very straightforward he had been in confessing his love. _Ah, teenage love._ Lost in his thoughts, he did not notice Tomoyo had started to stir.

'_Argh. Why is my neck so sore?' _she thought, her eyes still shut. Her feeling of soft silk against her cheek made her suspicious. Then she realised where she was and her eyes opened in a flash. Eriol was sitting opposite from the bed she was lying on, looking deep in thought. _'I should make a quick escape. But… where am I?'_ she tried to move her hands but could not.

"What the –?" her hands were tied together behind her back!

Her muttered words snapped Eriol's attention back to her, and he got up from where he sat, striding over to her. His expression was stoic, and he pulled her harshly off the bed and onto her feet.

"I'll make you remember," he repeated his words stonily.

* * *

"Guess who?!" a loud giggling ensued behind his back as smooth hands covered his eyes swiftly.

"I know it's you. Stop playing," Touya sighed and pulled her hands away and turned to face her.

"Mou!" Nakuru pouted, "You're no fun at all."

"I'm not supposed to be fun. I'm supposed to be strong and manly."

His words drew laughter from the tall, lanky brunette, dressed in her white cook's uniform. Her laughter was so infectious that a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but he prevented himself or else he would hear no end of how she made him laugh from Nakuru. Nakuru twirled around, her brown hair flying and her arms outstretched. Touya had to move out of the way before her arms smacked right into him.

"If only Yukito was here! We'll eat up a storm and play games the whole day!"

"He's in China. Now, go away. I've got a job to do. I'm not a slacker like _some people_."

"I am _not_ a slacker, thank you very much! The kitchens don't need me to cook now!" she placed her hands on her hips in indignation and stopped twirling; "You're so cold, when you're so cute. Why? Is Prince E. busy? What's he doing? Hey – "

Nakuru flew towards the mahogany double doors and pressed her ear against them, only to have Touya drag her off.

"Ooooh I heard something! He brought back a girl, am I right, _or am I right_?"

* * *

He really meant what he said.

He had brought his lips so quickly down upon hers that she did not have time to react. His kiss was bruising and angry, nothing like the kiss they shared when they were just teenagers. He was like a hungry animal, his lips devouring hers.

Tomoyo's gasp of protest only further spurred Eriol on to kiss her more forcefully. Her mouth had dropped open in surprise, and he took the chance to thrust his tongue deep into her mouth. The tangy bitter taste of alcohol confused her slightly. She had to concentrate harder to ward off Eriol's advances but the tongue invading her mouth was very distracting indeed.

His lean arms circled her slim waist and pressed her body up against his. Their bodies so close they were almost moulding into one being. The feeling of being pressed completely against her soft curves, elicited primal sensations within him. His hard body was responding to her warm feminine one; he thanked the gods that she was too preoccupied with struggling to get away to notice the indecent bulge growing in his pants.

He did not know what had overcome him. Letting out a cry of frustration, he flung her away from him and stalked away. Tomoyo's breathing was coming in ragged breaths; her chest heaving and her tongue running quickly over her bruised lips that had been subjected to his rough administrations. The silk was getting loose and hot against her wrists. She tugged at it with her fingers discreetly and her hands wriggled out, letting it drop to the floor.

Eriol was mentally berating himself for doing this to her. He had stayed off women for five years. Now, her presence had made him do something he had never done to any woman before. _Didn't he hate her? Then why did he want her so badly now?_ Taking several deep breaths, he shook his head, trying to clear the passion clouding his mind. His initial desire had subsided to a dull throbbing ache. He had never felt so much for one girl.

"Damn her," Eriol muttered, kicking the table over, and it fell over with a dull thud, sending the gin bottle flying. It shattered into pieces upon impact by the fallen table and the gin pooled around the glass.

Tomoyo froze, stopped by the intensity of it that was him.

Then she took advantage of the situation. She leapt towards the doors, flung it wide, and ran.

Eriol turned at the sound, only to see her long black hair whipping through the doors.

"Fuck!" he cursed, then gave chase.

Tomoyo ran along the long walnut table to the doors that seemed to be her only exit at the opposite end. All she cared about was putting distance between her and him, for they definitely needed to be separated. Furthermore, in his unstable volatile state, she_ neither_ wanted to be near him _nor _wanted to be his emotional punching bag.

She was a fast runner, but she just was not fast enough.

Eriol closed the distance between them within seconds. He pounced on her, pulling her to a stop by the waist, and grabbing a fistful of her hair. Tomoyo screamed.

He threw her onto the table, shoving several candlesticks off with a crash, before pushing himself on top of her. Eriol pinned her arms down with his iron fists. He was panting harshly and his breath was hot against her cool skin. Tomoyo flinched and her leg kicked out, hoping to connect with something, _anything._

"You…" he bit hard into the flesh at her neck, "Bitch."

Eriol held her arms down with one hand. One heavy hand ran up the length of her smooth thigh, pushing up the hem of her kimono-styled dress as he went. Her eyes wide and fearful, she continued to struggle, arousing him once again.

"Don't you know what you're doing to me…" he groaned, inhaling her scent.

She smelled of rosemary, so inviting and so warm. He could not control his yearning to continue touching her. His mind was screaming at him that it was wrong, but his body paid no attention and moved of its own accord. He crushed himself onto her. The rising of her breasts were restricted by his lean torso and he could feel her heartbeat quickening. The feeling of her soft curves was just too much for him to handle.

"Since the bedroom's not agreeable with you, fine. I'm flexible. We can fuck here on the table," Eriol continued to bite down on her neck; his hand then gripped the soft flesh of her round derriere.

Tomoyo shuddered involuntarily in response, shocked at his touch, before trying to glare at him.

"Stop it!" she hissed.

* * *

A petrified scream brought both their attention to the double doors. Nakuru's eyes widened as she shot an _oh-my-god-what-the-hell-is-going-on_ look at Touya. Then a loud crash from inside made them both jump.

"Wow! Isn't he being too rough for the first time?" Nakuru exclaimed, as her eyes danced in enthusiasm as she realised what was happened, and Touya looked aghast at her crude comment.

"Who's rough with what for the first time?"

"Princess Sakura!" both of them cried out in surprise and quickly bowed low.

She walked towards them inquiringly, cocking her head in interest. Sakura's brown eyes looked curiously at the doors leading towards Eriol's quarters. She was ever the innocent one.

"What's going on?" she asked, slightly puzzled by the two's antics, who had plastered themselves against the double doors instinctively.

"Nothing's going on, your highness!" Touya replied, his voice higher-pitched than usual, and started laughing nervously.

"Right! Nothing!" Nakuru joined in the faked laughter, both attempting to cover up for Eriol. Hell had no fury like Sakura mad.

"_Stop it!"_ a girl's voice drifted over. A hint of desperation and fear laced her voice.

The two of them froze at the girl's voice. Sakura did a double-take and then it dawned on her.

"Did he bring back a girl?" Sakura become extremely authoritative in an instant, "Tell me!"

"… Yes, your highness."

Another terrified scream punctuated the air. Sakura become suspicious, in a second, horror was immediately written all over her face.

"Is he _raping_ her?!"

Silence met her question. Without further ado, Sakura strode forward and with unexpected strength, she pushed both Touya and Nakuru away, and threw open the doors with a loud bang.

"_Eriol, you stinking pervert!"_

* * *

_To be continued…_

i have no idea why i like to post my chapters past midnight. _yawns widely_. lol. well i have no idea whether i will be updating for the rest of the week because Christmas is nearing! there's so much to do and celebrate. i have a week left to find christmas presents! ugh.


	4. Chapter Four

_**A Change of Heart**_

_By Misae_

**Disclaimer:** _CLAMP owns CCS, never I._

**Warning:** Language/Blood & Gore

**A.N. **Thanks to all those who reviewed - **tomoyo-amethyst, asga, icyblossom3, floofal, minglejingle, bloodyrose1205 and prilly55.** Well, since it's Christmas, i thought i would update. (oh yes, if you don't want your Christmas mood to be spoilt, please read after Christmas!)

* * *

_**Chapter Four: Fearful**_

_I met you_

_Once upon a dream_

_You and I _

_Shared more than we should have_

"_Eriol, you stinking pervert!"_

Sakura raged into the connecting room like a tornado, her shrill shout resounding throughout. A small figure, but the chestnut-haired princess was a total ball of fury. Her bright green eyes flashing, her mouth a grim line.

Eriol was shell-shocked to find his older sister suddenly barging in on him. He was stunned for several seconds and his mouth hung agape as he froze there, motionless.

Tomoyo was bewildered, but she was entirely grateful for the intrusion. Raising a hand to her chest, she tugged the front of her dress together, trying to cover up her indecency.

_Eriol had pulled the front of her dress open in one swift move, exposing her undergarment and her breasts to him. She had screamed at the audacity of his actions, and Eriol had silenced her with yet another kiss._

Sakura had barged in on a scene she would never ever tolerate in her life.

Several candlesticks had lain sprawled on the floor; their broken bodies a sad sight. Eriol was kissing the raven-haired girl so roughly he looked like he was trying to eat her. The girl's dress had ridden up, exposing her creamy white thighs. Eriol was pinning the poor defenceless girl down on the table and one hand was busy groping her chest.

Her vein was popping on her forehead and she bellowed once more, "ERIOL!"

She rushed forward and dragged him bodily off the girl, even though he was at least twenty kilograms heavier than her. When Sakura was mad, she could do anything. _Anything at all._

"Are you all right?" Sakura asked, dropping her angry look at once and replacing it with concern.

"I… I'm fine, thank you," Tomoyo stuttered, pulling down her dress and pulling it together. Sakura helped her down from the table and sat her in a white-edged chair at the table.

"Nakuru! Bring her to the bathroom to be properly attired. Touya! Get us some tea. We can all use it to calm ourselves down," Sakura ordered.

"Yes, your highness," they both obeyed.

Nakuru led Tomoyo out of the connecting room into Eriol's bathroom outside.

Then Sakura turned on Eriol. She ranted and raved about his indecent behaviour, her reproach ramblingly on in increasing volume. He remained quiet and let her seethe all she wanted. Eriol just stared at her and plopped himself into another white-trimmed chair, observing how many shades of purple his sister could turn with her furious tirade and counted how many times her nostrils flared in anger. It was pretty interesting. He could have sworn he had never seen her turn this delightful shade of maroon out of anger before.

"I can't believe you! You… you… you're so terrible! You've stayed off women like they're some sort of incurable disease! Then when I tried to introduce you to Lady Meilin, you deliberately warded off her advances! You never even try to flirt and people think you're gay. And now you try to force yourself on some poor innocent young lady..! Why are you so complex and unpredictable?! I have no idea why I have such a brother!" Sakura slammed her small fist onto the table, causing the remaining candlesticks to jump with a clang, huffing and puffing as she glared at the calm and faintly bored Eriol sitting in his chair.

"Keh, I'm your only brother. Get used to it," Eriol replied casually, not even bothering to look up, whilst running a hand through his tousled hair.

Sakura's vein popped even more dangerously. She shot him a death glare which he densely did not take the cue to even look the tiniest bit remorseful for what he had done. Eriol had been too distracted by her popping vein. He always felt Sakura was at her most fascinating whenever she lost her temper. That vein there was goading him into a fit of laughter but he controlled himself, grinning slightly. Noticing his absolute nonchalance and _even humour_ at what she was saying, Sakura was even more irate. She went to him and clunked him hard on the head, causing him to wince in pain and glare at her.

"Kisama! Stop hitting me!"

Another loud clunk.

"What the fuck!"

"Language, mister! Before I wash that mouth of yours out with soap!"

* * *

Nakuru and Tomoyo watched from the slight gap between the double doors.

"Is it all right to leave those two like that?"

"Oh! That's considered normal! Really, you don't have to worry about it," Nakuru beamed.

The squabble was getting louder and louder. Both siblings were yelling at each other with so much tenacity, complete with several smacks to Eriol's head. A chair had even been knocked over in their little spat, adding to the already messy scene in the room.

Nakuru and Tomoyo then entered, as Touya had returned with tea. Seeing Tomoyo re-enter the connecting room, and the two palace help watching the 'show' most attentively, Sakura pushed Eriol back into his bedroom.

"Oh don't worry, they'll be fine! Let's have some tea. _So…_ Tell me about you!" Nakuru questioned her inquisitively, pouring a cup for Tomoyo. The warming scent of jasmine soothed Tomoyo's nerves and she accepted the tea gratefully, sitting herself at the dining table. Touya pulled the fallen chair upright and sat himself on it, while Nakuru helped herself to some tea at the same time.

"Don't be rude, Nakuru," Touya chided, and helped himself to some tea too.

"Zip it, buddy! I'm not asking you!'

Tomoyo was bemused that a cook and a bodyguard could simply do as they wished. If it was her, she definitely would never have dared to do as such, for example drinking her master's tea. Nakuru rolled her chocolate orbs at the stony Touya's reproving look at her meddlesome ways. Turning towards Tomoyo, she smiled brightly at the girl. "So come on! Tell me how you got to know Prince E.!"

A little apprehensive, Tomoyo relented at that sight of Nakuru's excitement. "Well, okay…"

* * *

"You! How dare you! I'm going to get Syaoran here to deal with you! He's gonna turn you into blue coloured mince-meat! Then you'll regret it!" Sakura managed out through clenched teeth.

"Kaijuu! Stop it, you don't understand! Do you know who she is?!"

"No! I don't care and I don't want to know. All I know is that _you_ tried to rape _her_. Have five years of the absence of a woman in your life turned you into a sexually repressed being?! _My god!_"

Sakura huffed and sat down on Eriol's peacock-blue bed. The table was overturned by Eriol earlier on and she did not want to sit near the glass powder of the broken gin bottle. Eriol sighed and sat beside her. Sakura gasped as another revelation gripped her. "You snuck out of here, didn't you?! UGHHHH you are so dead! _Dead!_ You hear?!"

"She's Tomoyo."

Sakura's eyes bulged and she let out a gasp of surprise, totally forgetting that he had snuck out without permission and so deserved to be turned in to her mother. In the five years that Eriol returned to the palace after his kidnapping-child-slave nightmare, the only people he trusted with with his story was his sister and his cousin, Syaoran. They knew all the hardships that he endured there and all about Tomoyo, the girl he loved, and the girl who eventually sold him out.

"Did she find you? Just because she knows you're the prince and she wants to extort money or something like that?"

"No. I met her by chance in the village. She didn't know that I was the prince back then. I never told anyone there," Eriol's eyes darkened as an extremely painful memory returned in full force to him.

"Well, the news was everywhere when you returned home back then. She would know. I suppose we'll just send her back then. It would totally bring up unwanted stories of your kidnapping."

Details of his kidnapping and slavery had been hushed up and were not disclosed to the common folk to protect Eriol's reputation and privacy. When he first disappeared, the Royal Court issued a statement that the Crown Prince had contracted a terrible illness and had to be sent away to seek treatment. When he had been found, they simply stated that his illness had been cured and they held celebrations for his healthy return from the depths of Death's well.

Knowing well the complications of keeping a ex-slave in his life, he could not care then. "No! I want her by my side. I want to know the reason of her betrayal five years ago."

"As if she'll tell you! You just tried to rape the girl!"

"Argh, don't mention it. I really don't know what got into me just now. I wanted her so much, _all of her_."

"Ah stop! You don't have to go into detail – ! Well… What makes you think she'll tell you the reason now? Don't you think she would have told you then?" Sakura rationalized with him, "She probably wouldn't want to be near you, let alone tell you anything."

"I don't care."

Sakura sighed inwardly at Eriol's stubbornness. He rarely refused to change his mind once he made a decision. Hell, the whole royal family were pig-headed, even her.

"I'll think of something to convince her to stay in the palace then," she said, giving in to him.

A smile flickered upon Eriol's face, "Thanks, sis."

The trio outside were laughing. Well, Nakuru was the one laughing her head off, while Touya just smiled in his cool and mysterious manner. The minute Eriol and Sakura returned, the genteel smile upon Tomoyo's face vanished. She resolutely refused to look Eriol in the eye. Sakura noticed this and went forward to Tomoyo.

"Tomoyo, right? Will you accompany me for a walk in the gardens?"

Tomoyo stared at her, but kept her surprise in check.

"Okay, your highness."

* * *

The royal gardens were beautiful. It was a large carving of lush greenery with a similarity close to Eden. The fragrance of the flowers permeated the air, whilst the many arrays of colourful flowers resembled a fine piece of artwork. The hedges and bushes of many different varieties wove an intricate pattern comparable to a maze. But it was not as complex nor as trapping as was a maze. The highs and lows of the garden allowed people to look over to another part, yet still keeping the castle in view, allowing one to not get lost.

From where she was standing, she could see an expansive pond in the far distance, a large tree on a tiny mount of a hill, and even a large fountain with a sculpture of a lady, probably a goddess, atop it in the heart of the gardens. There was definitely much more than what she could see now and Tomoyo could not hold in her amazement as she took in the sight, silently wishing she could explore the entire royal gardens.

"It's charming, right? My mother oversaw the creation of it," Sakura smiled at the purple-eyed girl's wonderment.

"It is. It's absolutely lovely. My friend, Chiharu, would definitely love to see this."

Sakura led her up the small bump that was supposedly a hill, to sit on a stone bench under the shade of a cherry blossom tree, hers and Eriol's favourite flower.

"I have a proposition to make to you, Tomoyo," Sakura began, charging straight to her point, "I would like you to work in the castle. Your job will be to educate Eriol on the world outside of the castle walls. He will be King someday and he will have to get to know the people and their livelihoods. He must understand the people's feelings and their hardships before he can do anything to help them in his position as King in the future."

Tomoyo froze, this time showing her shock as clear as the day.

"I know it might be a difficult because of what just happened, but give him a chance! He's not that bad, really. And I promise he wouldn't do anything of that sort to again to you. It was a slip. He rarely loses that much control."

Tomoyo looked down at her feet, her hands wringing each other uneasily. It was a dilemma she did not feel was needed. True, with her help, the people's voices could be brought directly to the top of the hierarchy. Then they could all have better and easier lives in the future. But if she stayed, that could only mean that she would have to stay by Eriol's side twenty-four-seven. Her nerves would be an utter wreck if he decided to rake up their past. Moreover, Eriol was a six foot one angry, cold, strong being, nothing like the slender, innocent, caring boy back then. They were different now.

Making her decision, she turned to Sakura. "I'm sorry but I think I have to – "

"Please, think this over. He is the King-to-be. My mother hasn't let him out of the castle walls since his return five years ago, unlike me. He won't know a thing about how to govern the people, let alone bring our country to greater heights," Sakura interrupted, her shining eyes pleading.

Tomoyo contemplated the situation, weighing the problems. Being selfish wasn't exactly her forte and she felt an obligation to help her fellow men. "Seeing that it's going to help the country in the future… I suppose I can do it…" Tomoyo began carefully, "But _only_ if he respects my personal and private space."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Sakura jumped to her feet and embraced Tomoyo in a warm hug, "So it's settled then. I'll get the servants to see to your accommodations right away! And I'll inform your family, so you don't have any reason to worry."

* * *

She did not know what came over her to agree to Princess Sakura's request, but she knew it definitely was not because of those dark, brooding eyes boring into her and seemed to penetrate right to her very soul. No, she was not talking about being Eriol's educator, but the request to eat dinner with Eriol.

"_Please, Tomoyo-chan! Just have dinner with him tonight, okay?" Sakura had begged her persistently, "My parents are in the neighbouring country visiting, and I'm having dinner with Syaoran and Aunt Yelan at their house, so Eriol has to eat dinner all by himself. Keep him company please, or else he'll be so lonely!"_

"_Your Highness, he should go with you then – "_

"_SAKURA. Call me Sakura, or Sakura-chan if you like. Ah, since you didn't dispense with the formalities like I told you to, you have to do me this favour," she smiled cunningly, "Okay then, he'll see you at dinner!"_

_She dashed off like a flash of lightning, leaving Tomoyo standing there with no choice but to accede to Sakura's request._

"This is _so_ invading my private and personal space," Tomoyo muttered under her breath as Eriol kept up his intent perusal of her. They were in the connecting room of Eriol's quarters. Seeing that everyone was away, there had not been a need to use the main dining hall.

She squirmed slightly in discomfort and clanged her cutlery noisily to make up for the silence between them. She pretended that Eriol was not sitting directly opposite her. She kept her gaze concentrated on the dinner plate in front of her, forcing herself to chew her food as calmly as she could even when her nerves were straining to the point of fraying.

Eriol glanced at her as he sipped the red wine languidly. He knew he was getting on her nerves, but he was more worried about controlling his emotions. He had turned his love for her into hatred for the past five years. Now she was just simply sitting within an arm's length of him, yet she was breaking down the icy barriers he had built so painstakingly around his heart with every single look he took in of her. He was getting more and more frustrated by the second. He did not know what to do, and did not know how to breach the subject of their past.

"Well, good night then," Tomoyo suddenly said, "We've had a long day, I'm tired and I shall turn in. Good night, your highness."

She hurriedly pushed her chair backwards and rushed out of the room to the adjacent room, where her quarters were. Sakura had felt that if Eriol's educator was closer to him, he would behave much better then. Eriol had been grateful for his sister's ingenious idea at first, so he could always barge in and interrogate Tomoyo as much as he wanted. Oh but the stupid _'no invasion of privacy blah blah blah'_ got in the way and he rolled his eyes irritably at it.

He did not stop her from leaving so abruptly, but continued to sip his red wine, and stared at the chair she sat in just seconds ago, like he was staring at her still. He made no move to his bedroom until an hour later, after he had meticulously planned on how he was to go about to get the answers he wanted from her. Fatigued by the sudden turn of events, he flopped onto his bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

But Eriol did not have the luck of dreamless sleep; her very presence had triggered a myriad of memories he had tried so very hard to forget. Tossing and turning under the covers, he re-entered into the world of his past.

_Laughter was echoing all around him. He was twelve, that dark-haired cheeky little boy from his childhood. His uncle, Yoshiyuki, his father's brother, had dressed both of them down, and gathered several nondescript bodyguards. His uncle had promised to bring him to the town square as there was a festival today. He heard from his sister that many children loved to go to that particular festival and he had begged and begged over and over again for his father to let him go._

_The King relented, seeing that Eriol had never been outside the castle walls once, whereas Sakura had been to the town many times. Yoshiyuki also offered to personally escort Eriol, so Fujitaka had agreed._

_Since it was evening, the town had been shrouded in the soft glow of the rosy setting sun, creating a light-hearted mood all around. The town was decorated lavishly with colourful streamers, banners and a new contraption called balloons. Booths had sprung up all around the town square; some sold food, some sold toys, and some were game spots. _

_Yoshiyuki brought him to join the other children in the fun and had bought him several festival foods to try. They played a funny catching fish game; a throwing hoops game; a shooting darts game et cetera. The balloons had been an utterly intriguing floating rubber toy to him and he begged his uncle to buy him a blue balloon. Yoshiyuki of course did, and Eriol clutched the blue bobbing balloon in his small fist, the other clutching his uncle's hand, and on his cherubic face a contented grin. He had never been to such a noisy, boisterous, loud place before. But he loved every minute of it._

_Then, he remembered, the clip-clop of horses' footsteps had come thundering into the town square, scattering the villagers and elicited screams from several children. The place had suddenly been filled with countless horsemen, all clad in black cloaks. Then they had drawn their weapons, long katanas, and drew devastation with those sharp weapons. Booths had been trampled on by the horses' heavy legs and the decorations torn down relentlessly. The men attacked men and women alike, only leaving the children unharmed._

_He knew them later on as the child-slaves ring men. They knew the festival would draw children, so they went in for the kill, to gather their slaves that would bring their free labour and possibly profit. The ringleader was the same as whom he later got to know. That tall, huge, bespectacled man. He looked so refined, yet he was an absolute cruel fiendish demon behind that facade._

_His uncle and his bodyguards hurried to usher him away and the bodyguards drew their weapons to deal with the kidnappers, trying to protect him, and trying to protect the villagers._

_The crash of clanging metal had filled the air, followed by the sound of cold steel tearing into flesh, and then the terrible dying screams punctuated the evening. The sun had almost fully set, leaving the once warm and happy place in dusk and in the chill. The festival turned out unexpectedly to be a bloodbath._

_One by one, his protectors had been outnumbered and slain. With absolutely no respect for the dead, the remorseless attackers had heaved the dead carcasses out of their way, leaving their broken bodies lying in heaps on the street. Blood was everywhere. So much blood._

_Thunder clouds gathered in the sunless sky, and a pitter-patter of raindrops had come down in an instant. The blood and the water had combined, making the street glow red against the backdrop of the dark sky._

_Yoshiyuki had dragged him along, wounded but was trying to bring him to safety. Then unfortunately, who else but the ringleader had reached them. With a cry of pure desire to shed blood, he brought down his weapon and had attacked Yoshiyuki with a slash to his chest._

"_Run, Eriol, run!"_

_The sound of his uncle's voice did not register. Only what he saw and heard petrified him so that his limbs would not move. His thin fingers wound around the string of the balloon, gripping it tight._

_The man's katana had ripped into Yoshiyuki's flesh, tearing it with a harrowing rending sound. Blood had spurted from Yoshiyuki's chest, and he dropped to his knees, gasping in pain. Though his vision had been marred by the persistent rain, the sight and the sounds had been all too clear to him._

_Yoshiyuki had seen his nephew remain immobile, shock plastered on his childish face. With a despairing cry, he had plunged forward to fend off the attacker, hoping someone, anyone, could save the heir to the throne, and his beloved nephew. Weaponless, and only armed with his desperation to save his nephew, he had charged forward blindly._

_The second strike from the katana had severed his hand cleanly off. He had bitten back a howl of pain, clutching the bleeding stump of his hand, and had fallen heavily onto the cold and wet street with a loud thud. Severely injured, he had no idea how he managed it but he crawled those last few steps towards Eriol. The attacker had simply watched in mild interest, making no move to stop Yoshiyuki, looking on to see what protection Yoshiyuki could be capable of the boy with his fatal injuries._

_He had gripped Eriol by an ankle and pulled himself up to his knees. He was a bloody sight. His head was bleeding, his chest bloodied, his hand missing and the rain came down even harder then. The hum of the rain had filled Eriol's ears as he stared unblinkingly at his uncle. Yes, Eriol could only stare, frightened out of his wits. Yoshiyuki's eyes only held desperation, before he had mustered his strength to whisper to Eriol._

"_Don't tell anyone who you truly are."_

_Those were his last words, before the ringleader had reached the, his footsteps making light splashes in the drenched street._

"_It's over." The man had grinned maniacally, eyes glinting in the thirst for bloodshed, before he had brought his katana down with a swift stroke, decapitating Yoshiyuki in front of a child of twelve's eyes._

_The zinging of the katana and the sound of blood spurting from his uncle's neck immobilised him even more. The warm blood had splattered all over him, over his chilly face, cold from the blowing winds of the rainy night._

_His eyes wide and fearful, he had watched his uncle's head roll away on the wet street, watched his uncle's headless body fall towards the ground with a deafening thud._

_Blood. There was so much blood. _

_The rain continued to pour, and he had stood there, frozen to the spot, covered in the blood of his uncle. The ringleader's cackling resounded in the bloodied street, in the bloodshed, savouring the satisfaction of fulfilling his bloodlust. _

_The water was turning red everywhere. Eriol had just witnessed something so terrible, and he had started to shiver, not because of the cold, but because of the horror. He could only see red. Everywhere was red to him._

_Bile had risen up his throat, and his stomach was threatening to hurl. He had not even realised he had relinquished his hold on the blue balloon, letting it float away, the only object that escaped the massacre and kidnapping that fateful night._

_He was drenched to the skin, and his tears fell, unbeknown to him, and mingled with the cold, relentless rain, falling into the puddles of swirling red._

_Of blood and of rain._

"_**ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"**_

* * *

_To be continued…_

Oh, Yoshiyuki is actually Terada-sensei. He didn't really have much of a role in CCS so I thought I'll give him a role of some importance in Eriol's life here.

**Kisama:** It's actually something rude to call somebody. It's often heard in animes yeah? I found a website that said that the meaning of it is 'lord of the donkeys'. LOL.

**Kaijuu:** Means monster. Yeah, a little strange for Eriol to be saying it instead of Touya, eh? Oh wells.

Well, Merry Christmas everybody!


	5. Chapter Five

_**A Change of Heart**_

_By Misae_

**Disclaimer:** _CLAMP owns CCS, never I._

**Warning:** Language _(Hmm, this is relatively mild. LOL.)_

Sorry for late update! :(

* * *

_**Chapter Five: Finding Solace**_

_Words can be forgotten_

_Memories can be lost_

_But the comfort and solace you bring_

_Will be etched forever_

That anguished cry jolted Tomoyo awake from her sleep. She sat up, panting for breath. Listening for a few silent seconds, she thought she had imagined it.

"_**NO! NO! UNCLE! GET AWAY! BASTARD! NO NO NOOOOOOO..!"**_

The second agonising yell proved her wrong. It was real. The cry tugged at her heartstrings and she pulled off the bed covers and slipped on her slippers.

'_Eriol?'_ she wondered, _'Oh my god, did something happen – ?'_

She waited no further as more cries broke the silence of the night. She jumped up from her bed, leaving her bedroom in a hurry and ran through the connecting room to Eriol's chambers, hoping with all her might that he was unhurt and safe.

Tomoyo flung the doors open with a bang, and ran into the room.

The room was dim and since he had drawn one side of the curtains, there was little moonlight streaming in to aid her. Adjusting quickly to the darkness, she approached the violently tossing heap on the bed cautiously.

He was thrashing among the covers, continuing to moan. Tomoyo rushed forward to him, but his limbs flailed wildly, preventing her from reaching him. In the moonlight, she could see he was soaked with his own sweat, beads of perspiration had broken out across his forehead, his body was contorted and the bed covers had been thrown off. But what frightened her most were his eyes. His eyes were open but they did not see. They were emotionless and blank, like he was in another dimension. He was trapped in his own nightmare.

She had not seen him in this manner ever before. True, he had nightmares for the first month when he had arrived but he had only moaned terribly and thrashed around before she woke him from his nightmare. Tomoyo always comforted the petrified Eriol whenever he had one of his traumatic nightmares then. She simply had to help him.

"Eriol! Eriol! Wake up, please!" She tried to grab his violently moving arms.

He hurled off her attempt and continued to scream. Covering her own mouth, Tomoyo's eyes filled with fear.

He was screaming silently.

Not sure at all what was the right thing to do, she did what she could do. She jumped on the bed, pulling him up and into her embrace tightly. She refused to let go, even when he tried to dislodge her hold, digging his nails painfully into her flesh of her arms. She bit down the pain, as her only intention was to bring him back, back to the real world.

"Eriol. Eriol. Come back, it's all right, it's going to be all right. You're not alone, I'm here," Tomoyo crooned into his ear, placing her cool cheek against his sweaty one, and stroked his hair.

His struggling ceased gradually but it was replaced by racking sobs. She rocked him back and forth like a baby, continued stroking his hair, and she started singing a lullaby to calm him.

"_A twinkle in the night sky, far, far away_

_Golden starlight gazed upon in my dreams_

_On a sleepless evening, I sing alone_

_Tomorrow I'll sing with you,_

_On the wings of the dream…"_

The peaceful melody brought him back to reality; her voice was soothing him, calming him, and comforting him. His sobs subsided. His breath was coming in erratic pants and tears still clung to his sweaty face. Inhaling the sweet rosemary scent of her, he buried his head into her thick hair, hugging her even more firmly. Her hands were stroking his back gently, reassuring him of her presence. She was his pillar, a source of solace for him and he could not let go, lest his nightmare resurfaced.

He had never shared this particular memory with anyone, not even Syaoran or Sakura.

"Eriol," she breathed, "Tell me you're all right now…"

"_Eriol! Eriol! Please wake up and tell me you're all right!"_

A reluctant smile tugged at his mouth as he buried his face into her hair, recalling her words from five years ago. He gave an incoherent reply and buried his face into her neck.

'_Thank god,' _Tomoyo's eyes fluttered shut in relief. She was glad it was all over.

He felt her body relax and he kept on clutching her close to him, unwilling to let go.

"Do you… remember the days… when you used to hold me like this too?" he asked softly.

She stiffened slightly, unsure whether she should reply him.

"Do you?" he asked again urgently.

"Yes," she whispered faintly.

And that was enough for him. Eriol felt his heart leap when she finally admitted it. Suddenly, he felt like that five years never passed, and they were still there. Despite the torture there, he felt happier than ever when he was there with her. _With her._

He closed his eyes briefly but they opened in alarm when he felt Tomoyo pulling away from him. He reluctantly let her go. She peered at his face tenderly, her violet eyes unreadable. Then her silky soft fingers reached his face and wiped away his sweat and tears gingerly. Her cool fingers traced the chiselled contours of his face tentatively, as if she wanted to say something.

As the moonlight shone upon her face, Eriol could not resist her captivating eyes and he touched her wrist gently, pulling her hand into his own.

"Sleep," she said abruptly, drawing back, "It'll do you some good."

A little hurt by her action, he looked away and sullenly replied, "I don't want to."

"… Shall I sing to you until you fall asleep?"

"I'm not Takashi."

_She sang different lullabies each night to Takashi, to lull him into sleep. He had watched her do it every night. Takashi was such a baby. Eriol had been more than annoyed whenever she sang to Takashi. She should have kept her singing for him, __**only him**__. _

He scoffed at her and she was puzzled. _'Why bring in Takashi for no good reason?'_

Eriol threw himself face down onto his blue sheets, burying his face into his slightly sweat-drenched pillow, jealousy raging bitterly, and he suddenly wished she would just go away. Then there was the sounds of the bed sheets rustling and a soft click of the door shutting. After a few minutes of silence, there was no sound or movement in his room anymore.

He cursed himself inwardly. _'Damnit. Why did she have to take it so seriously? Couldn't she tell that I wanted her to stay by my side?'_

Something soft and warm pressing against his back made Eriol turn to his side and he was stunned to find Tomoyo lying beside him, eyes closed. Her raven tresses framed her face, a picture of serenity and his heart leapt with joy that she had stayed by him willingly.

Then he closed his own eyes, and slept soundly until morning.

* * *

"Eriol! Are you awake?" Sakura bounded in and stopped short at the sight.

Eriol and Tomoyo were fast asleep, snuggled close to each other, and Eriol had one arm wrapped around her waist.

"Oh my god," Sakura eyes were as wide as saucers and she bounded out of the room, "Syaoran!"

The sunlight was streaming in and hot air was tickling her neck. She arched backwards and her eyes fluttered open dreamily. _'Oh Eriol…'_ Tomoyo stared lovingly at his face. _'ERIOL?!'_ she jerked instinctively, instantly awake. Then the incident in the night came back to her. Fidgeting little by little, she managed to get out of his hold around her waist. Pulling the covers snugly around him, she jumped when he stirred and quickly made her exit back to her own quarters.

"Quickly, Syaoran! You have to see this! Eriol's sleeping with Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura lugged her unwilling and half-awake fiancé towards Eriol's bedroom.

"Isn't such things normal? I'll only be worried if he was sleeping with a guy," Syaoran deadpanned, yawning loudly.

Sakura scowled at him, yanking his arm painfully as they entered Eriol's room.

"Well… As much as I love to see Eriol when he's not yapping away with that potty mouth of his, this isn't what I want to do so early in the morning, you know."

"But… But! She was just here! I saw her!"

"What are you talking about?" Tomoyo interrupted, having changed, and returned.

"Oh nothing! We were just saying that we wanted to get you and Eriol to accompany us to this dinner party tonight! Right, Syaoran?" Sakura covered up quickly, flashing her pearly-whites at Tomoyo.

"A dinner party? But I'm just a peasant girl. I have nothing to wear. I think I'll pass," she replied pleasantly.

"Come on! It'll be fun! I can always lend you my clothes," Sakura pouted.

"Okay, why don't you ladies go occupy yourselves with all the girl stuff? I'll wake that sleeping beauty up, and we're gonna do something befitting of us men," Syaoran cocked his eyebrow at the two girls and flexed his muscular arms.

"Okay… Later!" Sakura swished a laughing Tomoyo out and away.

"Yo lil' cousin! Wake up!" Syaoran jumped on top of the sleeping Eriol, his weight crushing the navy-haired prince.

"Argh! Fuck! Gerroffme! You bloody moron!"

* * *

The ladies spent all their time in Sakura's room.

"I've never been to a dinner party before, or any other kind of party."

"Oh don't worry, it's really fun! There's always a good performance to watch."

Sakura milled around her closet, looking for different kimonos for the both of them.

"Naoko! Get us those kimonos from the third rack from the right! And Rika! Take down all the bead sandals I have and bring them here, quickly!" Sakura ordered her ladies-in-waiting, "You have to try on all these!"

Tomoyo blinked at the colourful array of different outfits Sakura wanted her to try. It was definitely going to be a _long_ day.

After many hours of _changing and changing and changing again and again and again_, they were finally done.

"How do I look?"

The lavender kimono fitted Tomoyo perfectly. The colour brought out her amethyst eyes greatly; the pattern of pink cherry blossoms made her looked feminine and sweet. Her black hair had been pulled into a ponytail, exposing her fair graceful neck.

"Wow. You look great, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura marvelled.

"Thank you," Tomoyo blushed at her comment.

She had always wanted to wear a kimono but never had the chance to. All she did was to sew and create new designs for the nobility who could afford such extravagance at Sonomi's Fitting. She wondered how her mother and Takashi were. Knowing them, they would still be worrying their heads off about her.

Sakura wore a bright yellow kimono as her mother had specially ordered it for her. It completely suited her cheery persona and the embroidery of roses down the front was excellently done.

"It's almost time. Let's go!"

Both Syaoran and Eriol were dressed simply in a westernized shirt and jacket. Syaoran wore a casual grey-blue outfit that he carried off well, while Eriol was black from top to toe, bringing attention to his midnight blue hair and eyes.

Eriol had not been looking forward to the dinner party. He never was enthusiastic about this sort of things. Sakura always forced him to meet girls every single time they attended such events.

But then, when he set eyes on her, his jaw dropped. He had never seen her look so gorgeous before. He had thought she was pretty even when they were dirty and grimy child-slaves, but now, she was just too goddamn breath-taking he was tongue-tied. '_This party… will definitely be different…'_ Eriol thought to himself, a slight grin forming on his lips.

At the party, where nobles were the only guests, Tomoyo had fitted in well even though she was just a commoner. No one else other than those three knew her true status.

They were sitting on tatami mats and were waiting for the dinner to begin. She sat beside Eriol, while Sakura, beside Syaoran. Following tradition, the women poured sake for the men.

"Prince Eriol! Princess Sakura! Duke Syaoran! Miss. What a pleasant surprise!" Yukito slid into the seat beside Syaoran, his eyes twinkling.

"Yuki! We've missed you! So how's the business going in China?"

"Flourishing, thanks for asking. Now wait a minute, Prince Eriol, you're finally opening up to girls now?" Yukito guffawed at Eriol's embarrassment, "Who's your pretty friend?"

"I'm Tomoyo," she replied amicably.

'_Tomoyo?'_

Yukito's brows raised an inch into his silver hair. Covering his surprise, he smiled warmly at her. For five years, he only had her name and her unique eyes to find her. Now, he could finally place a face to her name.

He was not surprised that Tomoyo had not recognized him. Down in the slumps in the past, Yukito had a grizzly beard and had crazy long unkempt hair, looking worlds apart from the sleek, clean-shaven look he adorned now. He even wore glasses to compliment his status as a well-to-do trader. Seeing that Tomoyo had not identified him as that tattered looking man from before, Yukito decided to keep it a secret just a little bit longer.

The party was at its height but Eriol sat silently as the group chattered over dinner, thinking.

'_Why?' _He was supposed to hate her. He did it wonderfully in the past five years._ 'But why am I so affected by her presence, her laughter, her smile, her voice, her touch? Have I really never gotten over her? Am I still in love with her? But she betrayed me!'_ Eriol's mind and his emotions were in heady turmoil as they fought incessantly as he watched her engage Sakura in conversation, her eyes lively and bright.

Yukito watched from the side, sipping the warm sake unconsciously.

"Your Highness, may I have a word outside? I would like to hear your opinions on trading steel with China," Yukito suddenly asked and Eriol broke out of his reverie.

They left the room, sliding the bamboo door quietly behind them. Yukito took off in the direction of the open garden, to ward against eavesdroppers.

* * *

"It has been five years since we knew each other, hasn't it?"

Eriol glanced at Yukito suspiciously. They had never raked up the past before and he was unsure why Yukito suddenly brought up the subject. Standing under the dark sky, Yukito sighed and stared at the few stars twinkling back at him

"Do you remember how you were saved?"

_Five years ago, he had found out the crown prince of their homeland was about to be sold as a slave to China. He had tipped off the authorities and had assisted in the arrest of the child-slave trading ring. They had retrieved the missing heir after three years of fruitless secret searching._

_The country had celebrated Eriol's return. The people were glad their Crown Prince had returned, entirely cured from his 'mysterious illness'. The palace was in a joyous mood and celebrations had gone on for days. The Queen had wept for her missing child for years. When he returned to her, she wept even harder, but the difference was that she wept in joy._

_Yukito had been greatly rewarded for his assistance in finding the prince. He was simply a lowly merchant, struggling to keep his business afloat. The King had rewarded him money, appointed him to be the country's trade representative, and had even conferred the title of Viscount on him._

_Of course, he had been thankful and appreciative of what he received._

_But he never once told anyone, how he had truly gotten wind of it. When anyone asked him, he kept his story the same, which he had been at the docks, worrying over his next trade, when he had accidentally overheard two men talking about trade with China. China's economy and trade business had been booming. Eager to find out if he could garner more trade opportunities, Yukito had followed the men to catch more of their conversation._

_But what he had heard was punishable by death. The two men had been discussing the trade of child slaves! Knowing it was a heinous crime, Yukito had simply gone straight to the authorities. The police had waited in ambush at the docks. When the men arrived with the child slaves, actually only one child slave, they had arrested all those involved in the illegal child trade. _

_Only their leader had been able to escape and he was a wanted man with a hefty price tag on his head now. The rest had been thrown behind bars. Then, Yukito had recognized the child slave, more a teenager than child, had resembled the lost prince. The whole incident had been thoroughly hushed up and Eriol had been safely returned._

"That was the story I told everyone," Yukito sighed, cleaning his glasses on his sleeve.

Eriol looked at his fiddling thumbs, knowing that there was more to it, and waited expectantly.

"Now, I'm going to tell you what I have kept secret for the past five years. It's time you knew," Yukito said, looking straight at Eriol with much determination.

_That was the story. The story he told everyone._

_But it was not as simple as that. He had withheld the truth due to a promise to a name._

_It had been a cool, moonless night. Having lost even more money in his trade business, Yukito had sold his house, and he had been resigned to sleep at the chilly damp docks._

_He pulled a thin blanket over to protect his body from the chill, and huddled close to the large crates. He had already shut his eyes in the bid to get some rest before he had to face the terrible fate of his life the next morning._

_Then, a pair of unblinking bright blue eyes was right in front of his face. Yukito leapt up with a strangled cry. The night was dark, and the pair of eyes had belonged to a cat with fur as dark as coal. After his eyes had registered to the shadows, he noticed the cat had sat at his feet, pawing him as if signalling him to be quiet._

_As he adored animals, he kneeled down beside the black feline, patting its head gently. The cat purred softly, and all of a sudden it pounced on Yukito's chest and he let out a startled cry, leaping backwards and a hand clutched his chest at the sudden blow. The cat stood on four paws a few feet away. A little afraid of the cat now, Yukito noticed the cat holding something strange yet oddly familiar between its jaws._

"_Argh! That's my wallet!" Yukito yelled and pointed an accusing finger at the thief. He advanced carefully on the unexpected thief but the cat ran off into the night._

"_Oi! Come back here!" Yukito took off after it, dashing through the crates that were put at the docks. Since it was dark out, he was awfully afraid he would lose sight of the cat as it had to be black and could easily camouflage in the shadows. He was more afraid for the money in his wallet as that was the only cash he was left with to survive the next few days. Without it, he would have to jump the dock and end his miserable hard life anytime soon._

_To his surprise, he never lost sight of the cat. It was either an extremely slow cat, or a dim-witted one he figured. As the cat dashed into an extremely dark alley, he halted in his tracks. The moonless night did not help the situation much. Cautiously entering the alley, he crept slowly by several wooden crates there, apprehensive of what might happen._

"_Here kitty… My wallet, please?" Yukito whispered, feeling foolish at having to beg a cat. As he rounded past the crates, a pale hand shot out and gripped his wrist tightly. He let out a scream of terror._

_The cloaked figure grabbed a hold of his shirt, pulling him forward and to let the crates hide them and started shushing him frantically. His fearful eyes darted to look for help, as the grey cloaked and hooded figure turned guardedly to see if anyone had heard the scream. A furry thing brushed his leg and he almost let out another scream, but was quickly silenced by the mysterious person's hand._

_His face not moving, his eyes darted to the floor, and he saw the black feline that was still holding his wallet in its mouth. Realising he was being in the midst of being robbed, his anger fuelled his energy and he shoved the cloaked figure away._

"_I know you want my money," he hissed at the mask, "But I really need it."_

_Without waiting for a reply, he scuffled with the cloaked person, causing them both to fall onto the damp alley floor. They grappled fiercely with each other and he lashed out wildly, connecting with the person's head. A soft gasp of pain from that robber made Yukito triumphant and confidant in winning the 'battle'. But then, his hand had been severely punctured by the cat's razor-sharp teeth, which had decided to join in the tussle to help the hooded figure and had abandoned his wallet in a slimy puddle. The person was also anxiously trying to cover his mouth to prevent him from shouting for help. _

_Reaching up in a bid to fight back with one hand, he knocked the robber's cover off, and was shocked to find long wavy black hair tumbling out from it. Turning to face him, a pair of glittering purple eyes were alarmed and frightened, while the bottom half of the face was covered by a black cloth mask. A yellow bruise had started to form above her eyebrow as that was where Yukito had hit in their wrestling match._

_His shock at realising a __**woman **__was trying to rob him stopped his struggles and he ignored the twinge of pain that was from the feline that was still gnawing hard on his fingers. The woman spoke and the high pitch of her voice betrayed her true identity that she was a mere child, a teenager no more, no less._

"_Please, I don't want your money. I really just need you to listen to me," she pleaded, picking up his damp brown leather wallet and thrusting it into his lap. "I don't have much time, please, just listen to me."_

_Yukito glared suspiciously at her, but he found no threat or untruths in her plea, and she __**had**__ returned him his wallet, which was awfully strange behaviour for a real robber. Grudgingly agreeing, he growled, "At least get this mangy cat off me!"_

_Relief could be seen in her eyes and she quickly pulled the cat away, letting him nurse his bleeding fingers. Blood was flowing thickly out of several gashes on his hand. "I'm so sorry, he didn't mean to bite that hard."_

"_It's okay… What is it?"_

"_Please listen carefully," the girl began in a hushed tone, "Tomorrow night at eleven, there will be an illegal child trade taking place here. They're going to sell this dark-haired, blue-eyed boy about fifteen years old to the Chinese. You have to stop them."_

_Disbelief written over his face, he stared back at the girl. Only her eyes glittered brightly in the darkness and he was not sure he could trust a person that would not ever reveal her face. Yukito got up hastily. "What?! I don't want to be involved in this kind of thing. Wait… Are you pulling a trick on me, girl?!"_

_What a practical joke! He turned to leave but the girl stood quickly and grabbed him by his arms, panic and desperation filling her eyes. "No! I'm telling the truth! Please believe me."_

"_Let me go!"_

"_No please listen!"_

"_Girl! Let go!"_

"_No!"_

_Sounds of sobbing made him stop his struggling with the teenage girl. Her lavender eyes had pooled with sparkling unshed tears and he was intrigued. Could she really be telling the truth? Noticing his abandoned fight to get away, her eyes lit up again in hope and she continued quickly._

"_Look, I would never lie about such things. Please save this boy! You must save him! Go… Go to… the police! They can help! Just tip them off. I'm begging you, please…" her voice trailed away, trembling with unspoken emotion._

_Brushing her hands off him, Yukito surveyed her. "Then why can't you go to the police yourself then?"_

_Her eyes open wide with terror and she looked around fearfully. "I can't! I have little time here and I'm at great risk from sneaking out… this is the furthest I can go… or I would be found out immediately and they would definitely torture me and kill me…" her voice trailed off and it was in such an undertone that Yukito almost did not catch it._

"_You're my only hope! Please help me! Please… I have no one else to go to…"_

_His hard demeanour acquiesced and he took a hold of the girl's hands that were gripping him tightly. At this, she stopped shaking her head so vehemently. The tears that spilled convinced him. Picking up his wallet, he closed his eyes briefly as he thought of the rash decision he was going to make and might possibly regret it later on._

"_I'll inform the authorities. You can relax now."_

_The girl's eyes flickered with gratitude and she thanked him repeatedly. She also urgently reinforced that Yukito should tell no one of their interaction, not even the boy she so desperately wanted to save. She gathered the black cat in her arms, wanting to leave quickly so she could return without being found out and could escape punishment from __**them.**_

_But when she was leaving, Yukito asked impulsively, not sure how it would benefit him but he still asked it anyway. "Girl! What's your name?"_

_She turned abruptly, long flowing midnight tresses bouncing in the wind. She looked like a shadow ninja shrouded in black. Her eyes softening, her voice carried lightly in the wind. "__**Tomoyo**__."_

_Yukito had stood there as she ran off, contemplating his actions. How foolish could he be if he were to believe this suspicious teenage girl? But what if she was speaking the truth? Deciding not to take chances, he headed off towards the police station, letting the light of a lamppost guide him._

"This is the whole story. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier," Yukito's voice a low whisper, "But I think that you should stop hating the poor girl any longer."

Eriol was reeling in shock at the truth, unsure of what to even say. Tomoyo had betrayed him, yet she had saved him? He was in utter conflict with himself. What was going on?

"She did you no harm, as far as I know. Why don't you sit her down and have a nice talk about it?"

* * *

When the two of them returned to the dinner party, an upheaval had taken place.

Sakura and Syaoran for no reason had apparently vanished, leaving Tomoyo behind with the other guests. Several drunken men had gathered around her, their expressions full of lust. She was nubile and was young flesh; they could hardly resist the temptation. The lecherous pot-bellied man beside Tomoyo had somehow convinced her to drink sake. She could not refuse as the man had been awfully persistent and she had not wanted to appear rude. But, because she could not hold her liquor, one cupful of sake had tipped her over the edge.

Tomoyo was holding a cup of sake, throwing her head back in laughter. The man beside her was red-faced and was leering at her chest, rubbing a hand up her kimono sleeve. Her face was flushed, her eyes sparkling, and she had not even protested against the man's lewd and inappropriate action. She was too drunk to notice or even care.

"Want to play with me?" one whispered in her ear, tugging at a tendril of her hair.

"No, play with me. I'll guarantee you all the fun tonight."

"You're making me so hot, sweet thing."

"How 'bout we find some private space now?" another slid a sweaty palm up her leg, through the open slit of her kimono.

One had gotten closer, hoping to cop a feel. His drunken senses took over the better of him and he suddenly grabbed Tomoyo by the waist, burying his face into her neck. She was in a drunken stupor and just giggled girlishly at the man's bold advances.

"Get your filthy hands off her," a voice seethed in cold fury.

Eriol's anger was growing with every second he watched them. His azure eyes had narrowed to a slit and had darkened until they looked totally black. His aura radiated dangerously.

The men noticed his quiet command, their eyes glittering warily at Eriol's intrusion. Fear instantly gripped them as his gaze hardened murderously. Stammering incoherent apologies, they quickly left her side. Only that one lecher remained, his face still inhaling the smell of her flesh.

Yukito grabbed Eriol by the sleeve as a warning not to act recklessly.

"Bring her back first. I'll make sure the other two get back safely."

He needed no other instruction. Irate, he headed over and hauled the pervert off Tomoyo and twisted his wrist backwards, pulling the man upwards painfully to his height. The man shrieked but was powerless against the very powerful Eriol. Silence had suddenly befallen the guests as they stared at the exchange. Tomoyo merely looked on innocently, her eyes glazed over drunkenly.

He twisted the man's arm up and inwards with such brute strength that there was a satisfying cracking sound. The man cried out even louder. He dropped the man before Yukito could stop him, and the man fell face forward onto the wooden tiles, cursing audibly, oblivious that he was insulting the crown prince.

Yukito's sudden vice-like grip on his arm prevented him from socking the man in the face. Breathing deeply, Eriol calmed himself down. Unauthorised duelling was ill-befitting of a Prince. If he had it his way, the man would probably have gone home unconscious, his face mangled horribly by Eriol's skilful art. Eriol turned unwillingly away and towards Tomoyo.

"Let's go."

"Why? It's fun here."

"I said to go."

"We should stay. I made a few friends. You could make some too, you know."

"I don't need new friends. Let's go now."

"I want to stay."

"_Now."_

"You go then."

Eriol glowered at her defiance and hoisted her by the arm. She protested and tried to wrench her arm from his iron-like grip.

"Look, the lady wants to stay here! So why don't you get the hell lost, you son of a bitch!"

The injured man had rubbed his wrist to soothe the pain, drunkenly yelling at Eriol. The other guests stared on at the interaction in fear. Even Yukito felt afraid, loosening his hold on Eriol and he took a step back from at the sudden fierce aura emanating from Eriol.

"Shut up." Eriol snarled coldly. He dragged Tomoyo up forcibly.

"Share her, damnit," the man rubbed his hands gleefully, "But I'll take her first."

Then the man lunged forward, grabbing a kimono sleeve, attempting to keep her there with him. The sheer force from his lunge ripped her sleeve from the shoulder hem, drawing a soft scream from Tomoyo as his nails raked down the length of her arm, leaving long red trails upon her fair skin.

In a flash, Eriol had hurled the man bodily across the room. He landed on the low table with a deafening crash. The man was sputtering and coughing at the blow. Without a split second's notice, Eriol's foot had jammed solidly on the man's chest, squeezing the air out from his lungs. He loomed over the man, a steel glint in his darkened eyes, and a nerve throbbing touchily at his jaw.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" cold fury vibrated from every syllable.

Tomoyo was left to the alarmed Yukito standing behind Eriol. Supporting her weight by the waist, he glanced nervously at the Prince, and by the clenching and unclenching of his fists, Yukito realised that Eriol was game for a brawl, regardless of his high status.

Quickly, Yukito stepped forward, letting the dazed girl he was propping upright to lean against the sliding door. Placing firm hands on Eriol's shoulders, he restrained the hot-headed sire. "Go. She needs to rest. Just go. I'll take care of it."

Eriol grudgingly backed down, treading on the fallen man's bare toes heavily for good measure, before scooping Tomoyo into his arms swiftly, leaving the manor and headed back to the castle.

* * *

They were back at the castle. Eriol kicked open the door to her bedroom with a sleeping Tomoyo in his arms. He carried her over to the pristine white bed, courtesy of his mother's furnishing of the guest rooms, fully intending to drop her there and then getting a good night's sleep for himself. Too many things had happened today. He needed time to mull over what Yukito had just told him. Tomoyo's presence was an utter distraction and other things that were of more importance preoccupied him too.

He needed time alone.

But no, Tomoyo had suddenly woken up, kicking out at him. He grunted and dropped her. Instead of letting go, Tomoyo had fastened her hold around his neck, her legs straddling his hips, clutching on to him, seemingly for dear life. Eriol suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable in the compromising situation he found himself in.

What had happened the previous day was because of his sudden lost in control. Now, he had to struggle to fight the urge of taking her there and then. Besides, he did not even have had much practice in the area, seeing that he had practically sworn off women in his five-year return. Much of his adolescent years had gone by with ignoring women and it had become his habit. His shirt suddenly felt too hot and he did the only thing he could do.

He lowered her onto the bed.

* * *

_To be continued…_

Perhaps some people might like to know why the men were suits but the women wear kimonos. I actually wrote a footnote about this in the first chapter, but I'll just repeat it here.

In Japan's history, during Edo-Bakumatsu period, about the mid 1800s, they were leaning towards becoming westernized. Let's face it, men were the superior ones at that time and following western ideals came easily to them. They preferred their women traditional I suppose, because I found pictures of women still conventionally dressed in kimonos and having those white painted faces. So yeah, that's my great explanation.


	6. Chapter Six

_**A Change of Heart**_

_By Misae_

**Disclaimer:** _CLAMP owns CCS, never I._

**Warning:** Adult situations

**A.N.** Hi hi everyone! I'm really really sorry for not continuing the story for so long! I'm going to give you a list of reasons as to why I haven't updated in so long so if you don't wanna read it, just skip over okay? But I feel I need to explain haha. Well, I've been having a hard time adjusting to the new school year and mid-term exams are just in two weeks time which brings my stress level all the way to my nose. I contemplated giving up everything that are liabilities such as this story and my music lessons due to school! :( Shows how much school's a killjoy eh? And on the personal front, my first relationship turned out way sucky and I hope my ex the jerk rots in the burning depths of hell with his new girlfriend. Shan't go into the nitty gritty details but i suppose you can tell huh.

Anyway! Thank you all who reviewed, especially Crying Sorceress! Hmm I've been reviewing what I've written and perhaps I write way too longwinded-ly and thus the confusion sometimes when reading. Damn I was trying to achieve this sense of mystery and suspense. As for Eriol, I let the other characters be soft with him because he was traumatized but i guess he just looks kinda like a sorry loser. LOL. Yup thanks a lot for your review! I'll take into consideration and try to write in a more logical way. _(My EL teachers seem to have the same complaints about my essay writing too. LOL. They say my thoughts run all over the paper. ARGH. I'm so gonna try hard and improve!)_

Enjoy then! :D

* * *

_**Chapter Six: The Learning Path**_

_As the Eastern winds blow_

_And flowers start to bloom_

_You know that it is time_

_For a new lesson in life_

The harsh sunlight fell across her face. Tomoyo raised two fingers to rub her tired eyes, stretching her back like a cat. Her head was throbbing incessantly and she sat up agonizingly slowly. Clutching her head with one hand, she squinted at the invading sunlight streaming through the translucent white curtains that were obviously useless in blocking out the bright rays. She had been woken up in this unpleasant manner since she moved into the guest room at the castle.

Mentally insulting the intelligence of the person who furnished the room once more, she thought hard and long. _What had happened?_

She only remembered obliging to drink the warm sake that had been insistently pushed into her hands. Then her memory had become hazy after that.

There had been a lot of laughing on her part.

Then there were loud noises, like a brawl.

Then she remembered vaguely that she was being carried by strong, protective arms, and then the feeling of warm, soft lips gently brushing her neck.. hot breaths upon her flesh...

Tomoyo jolted upright. _'Warm, soft... what? It couldn't have been…'_

She realised she was barely covered by the open folds of her kimono and the silky snowy covers did no more to cover her indecency. _Had she slept like that the whole night? What if someone had come in?_

A little embarrassed, she shook her head then gasped in pain at her worsening migraine. Standing unsteadily, she made her way to the dusky amber table opposite the bed as to pour herself a glass of water from the porcelain water jug on there. Instead, she found a cup of black tea waiting on the table for her. The note beside it read, _'Drink this. It'll help. – Eriol'_

A slight smile graced her lips at his thoughtfulness. Tomoyo drank the black tea, and gagged. It was the most disgusting thing she ever tasted. It was bitter, herbal and cold. All things she absolutely abhorred. Forcing herself to finish the contents, she could not help but wonder whether Eriol was playing a trick on her taste buds, as she stared in distaste at the cold brown dregs lining the bottom of the teacup.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Eriol looked up briefly when she entered the study.

He had been reading up on the history of their lands once again, in the hope of finding more information about the common people. Their history had been peppered with bloodshed and tragedies throughout his ancestors' seven-hundred-year reign. Rebellions, wars, civil wars, torture, killings, assassinations… There was a never-ending note to the unfortunate fate of his country. The country's many uprisings had gradually simmered over the years, and with his father's sovereignty, the country had become much more peaceful yet they had still gone through countless hardships, including his own kidnapping and disappearance.

Rifting through the pages of the thick book in frustration, he ignored the screams of pains in his knuckles for flexing them so brusquely. Glaring at the white bandage on his hand reproachfully, he shook his head to clear his thoughts. He needed to concentrate!

He wanted to utilize his time as king wisely, to create a peaceful land for the people, and a peaceful one for himself. Eriol felt his responsibility and duty to the country weighed heavily upon his shoulders. The immense burden itself had him cracking his brains hard over the five years, on how he could maintain order and how he could keep everyone under his leadership happy.

But he simply did not know how. Throwing the thick book at the door in sheer frustration, Eriol simply slumped into his chair, wallowing in his own troubles.

Tomoyo entered the study. Eriol seemed to be in a foul mood and she was afraid of trespassing. However, she had to keep her word to educate Eriol, to teach him how to look at things from a commoner's point of view. She noticed his bandaged hand, and she frowned worriedly at the thought of him having hurt himself.

She picked up the book from the floor. Turning to Eriol, who was looking away awkwardly, she strode forward to the study table he was sitting at, and used the thick book to thump him hard on the head.

"What was that for?!" he scowled at her.

"That's for ill-treating books. You know, many common folk out there would love to have the chance to be literate like you. Cherish what you have," Tomoyo sat primly opposite him, "Let's get started then, shall we?"

Everything was different. The way she taught him about the people, their lives, their work, their families, and what those people felt and how those people thought. It was something like what his history teacher did – lecture. His teacher had droned on and on for hours, not caring the least bit whether Eriol had paid any attention. So did the rest of his teachers, they simply came and taught him what they knew, never stopping to let Eriol question or argue about what was right or wrong, then they had left, as effortlessly as they came.

But Tomoyo had her own way of making it interesting. She interacted with him – asking him questions and making him deduce possible reasons, before explaining why his thinking was shallow and worlds apart from the common townsfolk's.

She paced around the room and gestured with her hands, her voice animated and lively as she talked about her home for the past few years, and the people who had made her and Takashi so warmly welcomed in an instant. Tomoyo wanted the people's voices to be heard, and here she was, letting it all out to the future King. She refused to let Eriol take notes because what she was sharing, was supposed to be on the back of his hand.

"Well! I suppose we're done here for today!" Tomoyo concluded her lesson after an hour and a half, falling into a chair, and feeling exhausted.

Eriol had furiously scribbled several pointers down, as an outline of what they did for the first lesson. He neither looked up nor responded to Tomoyo's last sentence. The tip of his graphite pencil flying across the paper, Eriol paused only to shove the locks of midnight blue hair falling into his eyes back. Unbeknownst to him, that simple action had smudged his cheek with a little black graphite deposit.

Tomoyo could not help smiling at his carelessness and yet his attentiveness for the subject. Before she knew what she was doing herself, she had reached out to Eriol, cupping his chin with her hand, and rubbing away the smudge gently.

Eriol froze at the silkiness of her touch. His eyes slowly lifted to her face. Tomoyo looked content and wistful. Suddenly realizing what she was doing, she pulled her hand back quickly, a blush creeping over her cheeks. They sat in abashed silence for a few antagonizing tensed moments.

Sakura breezed into the room at the moment, causing both of them to jump abruptly at her interruption.

"Tomoyo! I need you to come quickly! I'm having music lessons in twenty minutes and I have nothing to present to my teacher. Please help me!" Sakura begged and flashed Tomoyo her cute puppy-dog eyes, her pink mouth in an adorable pout.

"All right, all right," Tomoyo slapped her arm affectionately.

"See you at dinner, Eriol!" Sakura had swept Tomoyo out like the Northern winds, not even letting them both bid each other goodbye.

Sitting resolutely in the same position after they left, he could not help but heave a sigh of relief. The attraction between them was sizzling and he knew she had felt it too. The electricity from her fingers had run through his body, and lit a burning fire in the depths of his abdomen. He had thought his ears would burst into flames with the sudden shyness that had crept in if Sakura had not entered.

Shaking his head quickly like a dog as if throw out the unwarranted thoughts that keep flashing before his mind, he rubbed his slightly aching hand absently, whilst continuing to re-read his scribbled notes to get an overall understanding once again.

_It seemed to him that whenever he was around the raven-haired woman, he lost control of himself. He cursed a lot and that would count as a hell lot of emotion to him. He spouted expletives like breathing air. He cursed when he was happy, cursed when he was annoyed, and cursed a whole lot more whenever his temper flared. But with Tomoyo, he simply lost control, blindly lashing out at anything and everything like a beheaded peacock in the wild, flailing for fruitless survival._

_Then, what Yukito told him had crushed ever single last bit of hatred he had for her. Eriol had already lost control once, which was simply triggered by the first touch of her sweet, sweet lips. Then, he lost control for the second time at the dinner party, where he had shamefully gotten into a common scuffle with a man of status lower than his own. This was all because of this one woman._

_She had pulled him down onto the bed with her, pulling with all her might. Tomoyo's eyes were bright and innocent, her arms still fastened over his neck. They were too close. Eriol had visibly shown his discomfort because of their close proximity. This time, he was in control, and he would not lose it just because of her again._

_Eriol had placed his arms by her side, holding his body consciously away from hers. Her kimono had ridden up, revealing her long slender legs that were still wound around his hips, keeping his lower body pressed intimately against hers. The warmth of her flesh radiated through the thin fabric of his black shirt, turning him all hot and bothered. Desire had pooled in his abdomen, and he could feel himself hardening._

_He gulped nervously, avoiding her gaze, hoping she was too drunk to notice. Eriol hardly dared to breathe, as her arms circled his neck and pulled him harder and closer towards her._

"_Ne… Look at me."_

_He pretended he did not hear and busied himself with trying to control his bodily functions that were so not listening to him, as a thick desire clouded his mind._

"_Come on."_

_Tomoyo released her hold on his shoulders, only to grab him by his cheeks and turning him to face her. She grinned up at him impishly, her eyes sparkling, and her cheeks rosy because of the alcohol. She looked ethereal with her hair pooling messily around her sweet face. Eriol pulled his eyes away from her tantalizing lips. The temptation that was her was starting to make him sweat as he strained his muscles ever more just to prevent himself from taking advantage of her. She was too inviting, and that was really bad for him._

"_I love you, Eriol."_

_Her statement was clear-cut, but Eriol was taken aback. She had never once told him she liked him, let alone loved him. It was always him who seemed to be telling her how much he liked her, to the extent of loving her. He stared back at her, his heart racing, and all desire seemed to have left him. A lump had formed in his throat, constricting it and made it hard for him to breathe._

"_Do you love me, Eriol?"_

_It was childlike, the way she questioned him. She smiled sweetly at him, letting her arms fall back against the white, __**ick**__, pillows, waiting for his answer. Eriol had froze, his jaw clenched and his eyes unblinking. When he did not reply, Tomoyo's gaze wandered questioningly, her eyebrows slanted in worry, the light in her eyes disappeared and her smile turned into a slight frown._

"_You don't?" _

_Her voice carried like a broken whisper to his ears. It seemed so frail and slightly hurt at his lack of response. Even though he was all too clear that she was saying all these in an intoxicated state, he threw all caution to the night winds, it was now or never, he thought._

_Eriol let out a small frustrated growl as his muscles slackened and he let his body crush into hers. His mouth settled on hers in a kiss meant to fulfil his desire that just once. But once her silky soft lips touched his, he lost every single ounce of control, which wasn't much at that very moment. His tongue plunged into her mouth, hungry and almost savage in his need to take her, all of her. Tomoyo sighed her pleasure and her hands slipped around his neck, deepening the kiss dreamily. Eriol captured her lower lip, tugging at it impatiently._

_Things were becoming fierce and hot. He used his tongue to plunder her chaste cavern, making her sigh. The kiss turned wild and ravenous. Eriol was insatiable. He couldn't get enough. A low primitive growl rumbled from deep within his throat. Eriol tore his mouth away from hers and began to place hot kisses down the column of her slender neck. The sounds of her heavy breathing and the taste of her enchanting flesh drove him to sweet heavenly bliss and back._

_Eriol tried to regain control of himself, but the effort it took was too taxing. Her fingers had begun to caress his muscular chest, teasing his smooth flesh into responding to her gentle touch with sheer fervour. The sensuality of it all was incredible. He wouldn't have stopped but he realised that she was trembling considerably. At first he thought it was because of the chill as the windows were open and the draught was filling the room. But he realised what it was truly._

She was a virgin._ She couldn't be ready to engage in lovemaking with him even when she was sober and kicking. Tomoyo was simply vulnerable in her drunken state. Eriol suddenly felt shame wash over him like cold ice, dousing his desire. Pulling away, he got up from the bed, and covered her with the duvet. Tomoyo stared at him, innocent and wondering. Eriol caressed her warm cheek gently. "Sleep."_

_Then he left the room as her lids fluttered close, retreating to her dreamland. Eriol sank to floor outside her door, his eyes shut tight in guilt at taking advantage of her, mentally beating himself up, before punching the floor with such strength it split his knuckles._

_He sat there in the corridor outside her room, basking in the moonlight, as he let the blood flow endlessly from the open wounds and onto the floor._

Eriol felt a tightening twinge of desire again as he thought of the raven-haired temptress. Cursing colourfully, he slammed his fist upon the table, causing the half-healed wound to reopen. He watched the fresh crimson stain spread across his bandage, letting out harsh breaths.

----------------------------------------------------------

The sun had set a long time ago, basking the mansion in the darkness of night, the moonlight simply a soft glow as compensation. The curtains were slightly drawn, shrouding the room in shadows. The tall lanky woman stood beside the window, gazing pensively at the peonies in her garden. A sudden knock drew her attention away, as she kept her face expressionless.

"Come in."

Her voice was commanding and cold. The bespectacled man limped in, his feet making soft pads on the carpet as he reached her. The darkness made her skin look paler, yet illuminated it in what little light there was in the room. Her eyes were as black as they were cold as she gazed down at his slightly bowed figure.

"Well?" She was condescending and made an impatient noise.

"My lady!" the man whispered hoarsely in excitement, "I have made new plans now. The spies I planted there a few months ago have gained considerable trust. I believe that we can make the first move of our game once you return."

"Well done."

"Thank you my lady! Also, he will spend much of his time alone now because of the upcoming wedding. I'm sure that we can catch him unaware and no one will find his body for hours. Those few hours are simply an advantage to you as we can destroy any evidence by then."

"Good. You may go now. I shall prepare for my return then."

She turned her back frostily away from him, dismissing him with an authoritative wave, letting the disabled man limp slowly and painfully out of the room.

'_Any moment now,'_ she thought, her eyes glinting maliciously, _'Any moment now, and I will gain all that I've ever wanted!'_

* * *

_To be continued…_

_Please bear with my irrational and erratic updating ways! Sorry sorry!_


	7. Chapter Seven

_**A Change of Heart**_

_By Misae_

**Disclaimer:** _CLAMP owns CCS, never I._

_A.N._ Hi all :D Thanks for reviewing! Enjoy :D

* * *

_**Chapter Seven: Truth**_

_People long for the truth_

_Yet others lie for selfish reasons_

_But sometimes, the truth hurts_

_Do you still want to know it?_

_._

"Hurry up, you bandy-legged slowpokes!" Yelan snorted impatiently, "Make sure that the gifts for the bride are absolutely in order!"

"Yes, Mistress Li!"

The servants scurried around and packed the luggage in the waiting handsome carriage neatly for Yelan. The sweltering sun bore down harshly upon her face as she dabbed her perspiration away quickly with her dainty pink handkerchief. She glanced disapprovingly at the slow snail pace her servants were working at and tapped her traditional Chinese fan with annoyance on the edge of the large carriage wheel. They were packing the luggage into the carriage carefully in fear of damaging any expensive or fragile items.

"We're done, Mistress. Please, you may get into the carriage now," elderly butler Wei opened the carriage door politely for Yelan.

She huffed and got into the cool carriage and out of the hot sun. Noticing her loyal butler's exhaustion, her irritation somewhat lessened.

"Wei, take care of the house while I'm gone. And take care of your health too," Yelan added in an affectionate undertone to her old butler. He smiled and waved pleasantly, his eyes crinkling with laugh lines around them, clearing showing he was indeed not getting younger.

As the large dark wood carriage took off, leaving a trail of hot dust in its wake, Yelan mused to herself in jubilation. Finally, her baby son was going to marry! The thought of it brought a little tear to her eyes as she realised he would no longer be her baby anymore. Syaoran's older four sisters, Fuutie, Feimei, Fanren and Shiefa had already left her coop way before Syaoran had even fallen in love. Fuutie, Feimei and Fanren had married to a distant cousin, a wealthy merchant, and a Chinese prince who was seventeenth in line to the Chinese throne respectively.

Shiefa was the worst one, Yelan shuddered at the disappointing reminder even one of her children had been. She had ran off with a silly little sailor boy and there was no news of her ever since then. It was absolutely intolerable for her to even contemplate the poor life Shiefa was leading at that very moment.

Dismissing all thoughts of her daughters, Yelan could not help but smile at the thought of her wonderful handsome son marrying a gorgeous princess of Japan. Sakura was her distant niece since she had married the king's cousin but she always thought the world of the pretty auburn-haired young lady. Her thoughts full of the marriage details and plans, Yelan did not realise how long her trip actually took to the palace.

.

.

"Can you believe that I'm getting married?!"

Sakura bounced up and down on the plush cream-coloured lounge chair, her green eyes sparkling with happiness. Her hair was flying messily and her skirts were bouncing around her knees. She flopped down onto the chair, slightly breathless at her workout, gazing longingly at the emerald jewel set in the middle of several tiny diamonds adorning her left ring finger. It complemented her eyes perfectly and she knew that was the reason why Syaoran had chosen to give her this particular ring. Sakura couldn't help the goofy grin she had on her face.

"Mou!" she pouted, "I miss him so much already!"

"He just went to prepare for Aunt Yelan's arrival. What is up with you, kaijuu, you're acting moronic," Eriol drawled, not bothering much about Sakura. He was lounging on the dark sanguine chaise, lying on his back and was playing with the golden cat, Kero which sitting heavily on his chest. Kero was nibbling playfully on Eriol's fingers; while Eriol's other hand stroked the soft amber fur.

Bounding over noisily and towering over him, Sakura snatched a protesting mewing Kero away from her visibly indignant brother. Eriol scowled and sat up, attempting to seize the cat back. Sakura held Kero close to her chest and whacked him hard on the head with her free hand.

"Can't my own brother be more excited for me? Or even Syaoran?" Sakura scowled back, "Oh Kero, at least I know you're happy for me, aren't you?"

She nuzzled the golden cat, which licked her nose back in affection. A wry smile flickered across his lips as Eriol watched their interaction.

"_I am_ happy for you. When did he propose? The night of the dinner party?"

"How did you know?! Did you spy on us?! Are you _psychic_?!" Sakura gasped in awe at his spot-on guess, dropping the golden feline once again onto Eriol's lap.

"Isn't it obvious? Seeing that the both of you disappeared during the dinner party itself," Eriol replied nonchalantly, raising an eyebrow as his sister's marveling of his smartness.

He stroked Kero's smooth fur again, earning an appreciative mew from the cat. Half-tuning out Sakura's gushing about Syaoran's romantic and spontaneous proposal, Eriol thought about his fondness for cats. _'Must have been because of Spinel,'_ he mused, _'Wonder how's he doing…'_

"MOU! Are you listening!?" Sakura smacked him doubly-hard on the head, glaring at his lack of attention to her, sitting down in a huff beside him.

"Fuck…! Hey!" Eriol rubbed the sore spot on his head, returning her glare twice as fiercely as Sakura pulled Kero away possessively, and thumped him once more.

"LANGUAGE! How many times must I tell you! Hmph! I'm not talking to _vulgar inconsiderate insensitive stubborn_ people like you any longer. Total waste of my precious saliva," Sakura huffed, stalking away with the cat cradled in her arms.

"Yeah busu, go donate that _'precious saliva'_ of yours to Syaoran then!" Eriol yelled after her, still rubbing the egg-like bump that had risen furiously in the middle of his head.

Sakura whirled around at his crude comment, gave him a positively withering glare, before stomping off.

.

.

"TOMOYO-CHAN!"

Tomoyo barely had a second to look up from the musical scores she was looking through when Sakura came bursting into the room, sending the score sheets flying from the only hexagonal teak table there with the torrential wind she brought in with her run. The room was modeled after a huge beige birdcage, brightly lit as there were floor-length windows with simple lavender drapes running their length.

"Oh dear!" Tomoyo let out a distressed cry as she had been working on a piece of music to help Sakura with her next music lesson, after Sakura had narrowly missed a harsh scolding from her teacher during the previous lesson.

"Never mind that!" Sakura brushed off Tomoyo's attempts to pick up the scattered pieces of paper, "I've got something really important to tell you!"

Her short bangs windswept, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes bright and sparkling with excitement, she grabbed Tomoyo hard by her elbows.

"I'm getting married!"

"Oh my gosh! What—How did—What the—_How…?_"

"Here! Look at this!" Sakura quickly shoved her left hand up for Tomoyo's inspection.

The beautiful ring on Sakura's ring finger only confirmed that a wedding was underway. Screaming away, the two girls were literally jumping for joy. Sakura squealed about how Syaoran had gotten down on one knee, all the way blushing tomato-red, to ask for her hand. She had wanted to torment him into thinking that she had to think about it first, but the moment she hemmed and hawed about her answer, Syaoran's face such a crestfallen expression Sakura couldn't help but agree right away!

When the craziness of it all calmed down somewhat, the two women continued to chatter animatedly about the wedding proceedings and the plans and whatnots. They began drawing up ideas for the wedding, when Sakura remembered something important.

"Oh, but my parents won't be back from their political visit so soon, I think. I bet they're just taking the chance to relive their romance without us spying on them," Sakura wrinkled her button nose at the gross thought of her parents acting all mushy. "So we'll probably have to wait for them to return before we can actually start real plans and choosing the date of the wedding."

"Oh no but Aunt Yelan is coming over today to start preparations for the wedding though. I suppose we could start here and there a little first, don't you think?" Sakura frowned at the thought.

"Hmm that's possible too. Anyway, shouldn't you call her 'Mother' now?" Tomoyo admonished her playfully. Sakura gave a sheepish smile and swatted Tomoyo lightly on the shoulder, making them both laugh.

"Well, Tomoyo-chan! I've got another great news for you!" a secretive and devious look appeared on the normally innocent looking princess, making Tomoyo more than a little apprehensive. "Weeeellllllllll… I want Sonomi's Fitting to do my wedding gown!"

Sakura beamed brightly. Tomoyo was so overwhelmed her jaw dropped open before she could catch herself. She squealed and engulfed Sakura in a bear hug, which Sakura returned as enthusiastically in kind. After releasing her, Tomoyo couldn't help but feel a great affection for the bride-to-be. Seating Sakura down quickly, Tomoyo picked up one of the forgotten music scores and rushed to jot down the wedding dress details.

"Fire away, Princess!"

"Hahaha hmmm let's see… I want my dress to be pouffy, soft, white… or pink! Hahaha! Hmm and oh and I want it floaty and light so I can still run around! And then I want…"

.

.

"So… I suppose now we're really becoming brothers eh?" Eriol whispered inaudibly to a water-coloured vividly painted large portrait of the three of them on the carpeted wall – him, Sakura and Syaoran.

He had been walking through the dusky lineage hall. Light was streaming in from the windows, illuminating the long corridor with its maroon carpeted walls lined with numerous paintings and portraits of the royal family, displayed the heritage and history of Japan's leaders. Eriol had stopped right in front of that gold-trimmed frame. This portrait was done when he was ten, and Sakura and Syaoran twelve. They had posed on the flat rocks by the pond where they loved to swim in. The backdrop was a glittering peaceful blue because of the water and the clear sky, while green trees dotted occasionally in the middle.

Sakura was in the middle, sitting on a flat dry rock, her pale yellow dress pooling around her crossed legs. The cute bonnet hat on her head shielded her from the overbearing sun. Cupping her chin in both hands, Sakura had given the same effulgent smile she had at present, looking a vision of happiness. Syaoran and Eriol both flanked Sakura, standing on the grey rocks instead. Syaoran's brown hair was ruffled and messy, his hand resting lightly upon Sakura's left shoulder, giving an elusive smile, his coffee eyes showing a faint cheerfulness.

Eriol? He had stood on Sakura's right. One leg was up on a higher rock, showing off his shin-high navy socks. A hand on his hip as a show of impatience, Eriol had looked a picture of boredom. His mouth was a defiant scowl and his cerulean eyes looked away in a distance. A sardonic expression had spread unknowingly across his face, as he looked upon his younger self. _What a brat._

Although he always called Sakura a little monster, and had his fair share of verbal sparring with Syaoran, he could not help but feel left out suddenly. They had been a little royal group for as long as he could remember, even before his disappearance. They hardly ever spent time away from each other, and now those two were embarking on a lifelong journey without him.

Wistful and a tinge jealous, Eriol walked on as he thought of the good ol' days they shared. Ah_, all the memories… _Somehow, he suddenly wanted to marry, he wanted to have what those two were going to have. But the problem was, with whom? _Tomoyo? _He shook his head, a blush creeping up his neck at the thought of the girl.

.

Lost in his thoughts, Eriol strolled unwittingly into the very same birdcage room Tomoyo was in. Sakura had left to await the arrival of Yelan with Syaoran, leaving the dark-haired seamstress alone to work on the design of the wedding gown. Tomoyo's pencil ran fluidly on the paper like watery ink on canvas. She drew and drew, and the paper seemed to come alive. Deep in concentration, she barely paid heed to the presence of another being. Designing was her life and passion, whenever she had a burst of inspiration, she could simply design for hours endlessly. She would rather go without food or drink than lose her muse.

Eriol shuffled awkwardly when Tomoyo didn't even look up from the table to acknowledge him. He pressed his lips together, unsure of what to do. He didn't want to disturb her when she looked so immersed in her work. Deciding hastily, he tiptoed, although he wasn't sure why he was acting so suspiciously, but yes he tiptoed as quietly as a mouse would and sat himself beside her. Tomoyo merely brushed away a stray lock of her hair before resuming drawing fervently, oblivious to the prince who was content at just watching her.

Eriol could barely contain the familiar warmth that was spreading in his chest as he glanced at her profile, serious and focused. The last time he felt this peculiar sensation, they were just teenagers. But strangely enough, he welcomed the warm glow that sparked. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was content and happy just to be suspended in that moment, alone with her.

"Wahhhhh hahaha! All done!" Tomoyo let out a sudden gasp, making the man beside her jump, and wiping the gentle smile that graced his lips. A brilliant grin illuminated the joy that showed clearly on her face, and Tomoyo raised her designs up to kiss them, grinning even more goofily at her accomplishments. Eriol couldn't resist when he saw her cute action. He sniggered.

Shrieking at the sound that reverberated around the birdcage room, Tomoyo leapt to her feet, scattering her designs in her fluster. Instinctively, her hand lashed out and accidentally whacked Eriol on the side of his head.

"OWWWWWWWWWW goddamnit what the bloody hell!" He howled as the back of her hand had smacked his right eye dead-on, and his hand clutched his socket, as if trying to prevent the eyeball from falling out. He rocked to and fro on the chair trying to relieve the pain. Tomoyo's mouth was shaped into a comical 'O' at the realization of what she did and she stared unblinkingly at the howling prince, before she regained her composure.

"Oh my goodness I'm so sorry! Here, let me see..!" She reached out to pull his hand away to inspect the damage she did, only to have him shove her hand off roughly. A little hurt at his abrupt action coupled with the numerous expletives Eriol was uttering at the speed of light, she scowled indignantly, placing her hands on her hips defensively. "Oh stop it, you little crybaby. I bet it's just a light scratch. Besides, you were the one who came creeping up on me and almost gave me a heart attack! Serves you right!"

At her sarcasm, Eriol raised his head to glare at her with his good eye. Ice blue eyes, or eye in this case, flashed dangerously and his nostrils flared, "Hell, woman! How could you not even notice my presence! A rapist could have raped you and you wouldn't even know!"

Tomoyo's jaw dropped open once more as she let out an insulted gasp. Her eyes narrowed half their size as she retorted, "That's just silly. Obviously I would have noticed… that! Ugh, you are so stupid!" She stomped her foot childishly and busied herself with picking up the completed designs that awaited Sakura's approval.

Eriol gave her a what-the-hell look but then she was too busy ignoring him to notice. "Oi."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes pettily and ignored him.

"Oi, woman!"

The sides of her mouth twitched in annoyance.

"Aren't you going to take responsibility for injuring me, and possibly the disfiguration of my handsome face?"

"What?!" At that totally thick-skinned statement, she whirled around in utter incredulity. Having got her attention back again, Eriol smirked devilishly, one hand still covering half his face. "Oh c'mon. Is that the way to treat the future king?"

Dilemma alert, Tomoyo struggled with herself for a few seconds before succumbing. "Oh fine. Let's see your 'serious injury', _your highness_," she placed extra emphasis on his title to scorn him.

She replaced the papers on the table before she hauled his hand away from his eye, earning another glare from him. It was worse than she thought. The area around his eye had started to bruise a sickly yellowish-green. The eye white looked a tad bloodshot, probably from a burst blood vessel. Tomoyo grimaced at the damage she had done.

"Well? Am I disfigured for life?" Eriol asked cheekily at her sudden worried expression.

Rolling her eyes, she grudgingly replied, "No. But you will be if you keep up with that smart mouth. Hang on, I'll get some ointment." With that, she left the room hurriedly to fetch the medicine.

Leaning backwards on the chair and stretching languidly, Eriol watched her disappearing figure before a small smirk graced his features. His eyes twinkling with glee, he couldn't help but feel so happy at the thought of how much Tomoyo still cared for him. He sniggered, the joy he felt was indescribable he almost wanted to hug himself, but he had to resist the urge for fear of looking like a clown.

Tomoyo returned as quickly as she had left, causing Eriol to hastily cough to cover up his actions, he clamped a hand over his eye once again, trying to look still in pain. She strode over, opening the brown bottle of ointment in her hands.

"Hands off," she ordered, before using her fingers to dab on some of the faintly herbal-smelling medicinal liquid around his eye. Tomoyo placed the bottle down on the table, bending down to get a better look at the bruise. Eriol's nose twitched at the unpleasant odour of the ointment, but was distracted by her cool fingers gingerly rubbing the bruise. He winced when she reached a particularly sore spot, and her gaze flickered in concern and their eyes connected. Amethyst met azure.

Her fingers froze, lightly resting near his eye. Time seemed to have stopped and all they could hear was the heavy fast breathing of each other. Tomoyo was afraid to break eye contact. Even though the passion and earnest in his eyes scared her, she couldn't bring herself to look away. Eriol stared right back at her, willing her to understand his unspoken emotions. But all she looked like was a frightened mouse that had met a cat waiting to prey on it.

"So..." he cleared his throat nosily, startling her, "Falling in love with me?"

Silence greeted him.

Then he howled like a hyena once again, as his head snapped back at the ferocious force Tomoyo used to press his bruise in as a reply. She pursed her lips and her eyes screwed up, ignoring his renewed cussing at the pain, "You wish!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh oh fuck!" Eriol growled out through gritted teeth. Tomoyo had resumed collecting her designs, turning her back defiantly on him. He was so not going to tolerate such treatment, not even from her! Despite clutching his hurting eye socket, he used his free hand to grab a stronghold of her slender wrist, pulling her roughly to face him. She glared up at him fiercely, as he had stood up and was more than half a head taller than her.

Seeing she was not going to back off, Eriol relented, sighing heavily. Reaching out to trace her jawline gently with his slim hand, he couldn't help but feel a sudden sense of remorse and guilt washing over him like a sudden thunderstorm. Her eyes widened at the three-sixty change in his temperament, as her eyes followed the path his fingers took upon her face. The look he was giving her scared her even more.

"I know," Eriol began softly, his baritone voice echoing softly around them.

"Know what?" Curiosity made her ask when he didn't continue.

Eriol's fingers had traced their way to her full, luscious lips. He trailed on her bottom lip, causing her heartbeat to spike.

"I know," he repeated himself, "I know… Oh, Tomoyo!" His eyes were clouded with distress and the dark bangs fell across his eyes. He looked very a picture of anguish and turmoil at that moment that Tomoyo was too taken aback to even respond.

"You… you…" Eriol's voice caught as his throat had constricted with emotion, his hands grabbing her shoulders tightly, "Can you ever forgive me? Can you?"

"I was such a fool! I..! I was so caught up with hating you that I never tried to see it from your perspective! I knew it, I knew it. You definitely had your own troubles, right? That's why you drugged me? You must have been threatened by that son of a bitch! Why else would you have risked your life after that to sneak out from there to try and save me?!"

Shock registered upon Tomoyo's face as she realized what Eriol was talking about. She never once thought Eriol would find out about her part in saving his life. Eriol continued his anguished ramblings, "Here I was, thinking the worst of you! Oh my god I'm such a bastard! Damnit! I should have known! Should have known you would never betray me for some evil intention, I should have…"

"Why did you have to dig up the past?!" Tomoyo pushed him away forcefully, her eyes holding nothing but horror and accusations. He glanced at her in surprise. He thought she would be glad that he had found out he knew she hadn't betrayed him for evil intentions. Having her rant at him in return was definitely unexpected.

"You would have been better off if you didn't know! Why did you..!? Ugh you royals have nothing better to do is that so!"

His temper flared. "So. You'd rather I continue to blame you and hate you?"

"Yes!"

"What the fuck!"

Their glaring contest intensified, both were furious, but for very different reasons.

"Don't you get it? Or are you really as stupid as you look?" Tomoyo spat out. He swelled angrily like a bullfrog at her statement. About to retort, Tomoyo cut across him and continued, "Obviously it'll be better that if you didn't know! And yes since you want the truth so much, I'll tell you since you're so desperate!"

.

_She had just left the common toilet. It was dingy, a little dark and rather dirty, but it was a toilet all the same. About to head back to wash the clothes, Tomoyo was startled by a sudden fierce shout in her direction. One of the leader's underlings beckoned her over. She dared not to disobey and hurried over, wondering what she was needed for. Maybe Takashi toppled the teapot and broke it again._

"_Master wants to see you." And that was all said before the wooden sliding was slid open and she pushed in roughly. Falling hard on her knees and bare hands heavily, an unkind girlish giggle made Tomoyo feel ashamed. Looking up slightly , she could see a low table with food and sake, while the leader lounged behind it. A geisha he invited over was pouring a cup of sake for him, her elaborate orange, sakura-patterned kimono flowing gracefully. The mocking laughter came from her._

"_Well, let's see here," Master boomed, "The blue-eyed boy, he's your friend right?"_

"_I…er… Yes..Sir," Tomoyo managed, too afraid to move from her kneeling position even though it was very uncomfortable._

"_Hahahaha! Good! They brought me the right little spy then eh?" Master's raucous laughter caused the geisha beside him to jump and cover her face with her kimono sleeve to give him the due attention._

"_Now you!" He barked, throwing a small red triangle packet that landed right at Tomoyo's fingertips, "See that? It's a sleeping drug! I want you, to drug that little boy friend of yours tomorrow night you hear?!"_

_Puzzled, Tomoyo didn't know how to respond. "Oi, you there! You understand, or you're just too stupid? I want you to drug that boy!"_

_The master was in a slight drunken stupor, his cheeks were flushed, and his mouth hanging agape when he wasn't talking, or shouting for that matter. "I'm gonna sell him away to China then I'll get shitloads of money hahahahaha! I don't know which idiot there wants to actually buy this dumb boy, god for so much! But then, that idiot is giving me a huge profit! And the moron is paying me more to ensure that little slave-boy isn't hurt in any way. Like who cares whether he's hurt or not?! So I should thank that crazy fucker for his money yeah muahaha! And maybe I'll buy you a new silk kimono eh?"_

_Master leered at the geisha from behind his spectacles, making her giggle and flutter her lashes at him._

"_What…?" Tomoyo couldn't help but let out a gasp. China seemed so far away! And they didn't treat the slaves any better than they did in Japan, and she was to be playing a hand in sending Eriol away? Bringing him further from his homeland to a whole new unknown scary world? No way could she do that to him!_

"_Ehhhh?" She had spoken that last sentence out loud. Master had heard and he wasn't happy. Stumbling over to her drunkenly, he dragged her up by the collar. Tomoyo stared at his chin, too afraid to look directly into the jet-black cold eyes that bore straight into her, terrorizing the hell out of her._

"_You do it, you hear me? Or else I'll send your other little friend to the mines to work." His voice was dangerous. Tomoyo couldn't believe her ears. Send Takashi to the mines? They were actually considered fortunate to work in the Master's house as slaves. Those who were sent to the mines to dig for precious ores or minerals never came back right. Some became horribly ill and eventually died coughing blood. Some had accidents and they lost limbs, causing Master to order their disposal as their hands and feet were all he needed. Some even lost their minds there. They'd saw unnatural things and experienced indescribable terrors. This was absolutely the worst nightmare for any slave here. No one wanted to be sent to the mines!_

"_Send me instead, please," Tomoyo implored quietly, making up her mind to save both Takashi and Eriol to the best she could. An amused smile lit Master's face, "You… I've got better plans for you, if you don't do as I've ordered you to," he murmured leeringly, letting his tongue run the length of her chin. Her eyes widened in fear. He was going to… going to..! She shuddered at the thought of being raped._

"_So…" Master whispered deviously into her ear, nipping her flesh as he went along. "What will you do, girlie?"_

_Cackling when he saw the tears that she was holding back, he threw Tomoyo out of the tearoom with the drug packet. She fell onto the dusty ground. What was she to do? She had… no more options left. _

_._

Her eyes downcast, she looked exhausted in the diminishing light. The sun had begun to set, oblivious to the both of them. The birdcage room was starting to get dimmer, shrouding the two of them in semi-darkness.

"You were wrong. I betrayed you for selfish reasons. I… sacrificed you… to save Takashi… I'm sorry…" Tomoyo bit down hard on her lip in shame. She had made that one choice. If she didn't do it, all three of them would suffer the consequences. At the very least she managed to save Takashi, and… herself. Admittedly, she never stopped feeling the guilt of her decision to protect only Takashi. Eriol… He was stronger… That was what swayed her decision.

Eriol stood there, not caring whether night had fallen. Hell, the world could have been fast-forwarded but he would still be there, her last sentence ringing over and over again in his ears.

He finally understood why it was human nature for people to tell untruths. They lied to protect the people they loved, they lied to liberate others from burdens, and Tomoyo had lied to protect him. She had thought that he would have been better off if he hated her. She was right. After their separation, he would have only pined for her and would have spent unnecessary time to find her. As a prince, this was utterly out of the question. If he hated her, he would forget her and would get on with his life. But this turnout now was hardly what she had expected eh? Perhaps their fates were too closely intertwined that even Tomoyo could not have foreseen this unexpected turn of events.

If he were in her shoes then, he most probably would have made the same decision as she did then. But… Truth as it should be told was indeed painful to hear. He never expected her to choose Takashi over him. That really hurt him the most.

* * *

_**To be continued…** _

**A.N.** Hey i really really hope ya'll like this chapter! i rewrote this more than my fingers can count i think and had about 4-5 versions of this ONE chapter. Oh man. i still think there's something out of place but i really can't place my finger on it! Argh.

Anyway, a shoutout to all those having upcoming exams! All the best and concentrate on studying! I'm rotting away doing math most of the time. Still have 3 more humongous subjects to study for! Math is just the tip of the iceberg. Sheesh. School sucks big time lololololol. Oh yeah i'm a junior college student, not poly :D


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